Stars Of The Moon
by FoxRain7
Summary: With Naraku defeated and the Shikon Jewel completed, the Inutachi can finally relax... or so they thought. Who is the one resurrecting all their old foes, and why are they even stronger than before? Full summary inside BanOC
1. Prologue

**Hi! :) This is my first story, so I'm trying my best not to mess up. Enjoy! **

**Summary:** With Naraku defeated and the Shikon Jewel completed, the Inutachi can finally relax... or so they thought. Who is the one resurrecting all their old foes, and why are they even stronger than before? Could be Naraku be still alive? How will the meeting of a new girl change the Inutachi's lives? Is she a **friend** or a new **foe**? What connection does she have with the Band of seven and other foes? With old enemies changing sides to become new allies, who can you possibly trust? **InuKag MirSan BanOC **

Thanks to Tempest 78 for helping me with my summary :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but I do own the plot and the OCs.**

**Rated M for later chapters (for language).**

**IMPORTANT A/N: **

After defeating Naraku, Kagome is still able to pass through time, Kohaku is alive (without the jewel fragment), Rin is still traveling with Shesshoumaru, Sango and Miroku didn't have kids (yet ;3) and Kikyo is dead. The Shikon Jewel is gone, Tetsusaiga has all the attacks it can do from The Final Act, Hiraikotsu can cut through demonic auras, and Kouga has the Goraishi. Kohaku has a weapon similar to Sango's (seen on the last episode of The Final Act) forged by Toutousai, and grew more like a man. Ayame the wolf demon never met Kouga (let's just say she was a good girl and she never got lost for Kouga to rescue her). Sorry Ayame fans. So basically, this is almost the same ending from TFA, only I made some exceptions.

**PLZ read till the end! I know, it'll sound boring at first, but I promise, it'll much better later.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Prologue**

"_It sure is peaceful, now that Naraku's dead. Finally." _A beautiful young woman about sixteen years of age was praying silently in front of a shrine. She stared at the tomb which was not very long ago split in two. She smiled softly, _"To think that it's already been six months... since then._" She remembered all that work she had to do just because of _him_.

His beautiful smile and his strong figure still haunted her memories like an obession. He was one of the - **no**, he was **THE** most handsome man she had ever seen, and it's pretty hard to impress someone like her with looks. He was a strong opponent, and a loyal partner. Even when the girl fought with her demonic blades, he gave her a tough time. It has been a while since she ever fought with someone of the same strengh as her.

She did have tons of fun though, she loved to spar with him. But even if he was strong, he died along with his comrades. _"It was going to happen eventually, right? I mean... fairytales always finish with the bad guys losing... or dying."_

But to her, he wasn't a bad guy. To her, he was just another man confused with the meaning of his new life. The new life he lived for only a short amount of time.

_"Tsk, he's lucky that I was actually nice enough to help him! Otherwise he and his brothers wouldn't have their precious belongings safe right now!". _

Next to the shrine were some particular items: huge armour, canons, giant pieces of metal, bottles of poison, torn woman clothing, metal claws, and a piece of a sword's handle. **(A/N: What do you call that stuff?)** She looked at the items, knowing which one represented who.

She sighed. _"I tried to warn you, I really did. I wish you listend to me that time... but I guess some things aren't meant to be. Some promises can't be kept. Two different destinies can never be together. The dead and the living aren't meant for each other... Isn't that right... Bankotsu_?"

She stood up and started walking back towards the village. She would have to assure everyone that the souls of the specters are still at peace. She knew she had to leave the village the next day, so she wanted to make sure the villagers can relax and stay calm. As she left the grave, a silent tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

"Dammit!" Inuyasha yelled after the hair demon dodged his attack once again. The hair demon was Yura, and only God knows how she came back to life. The gang was simply enjoying some peaceful time together when Yura bursted out of nowhere and started attacking them. Miroku was doing his best to fight, since he didn't have his Wind Tunnel anymore, Shippou was firing his Fox Fire like a mental freak to get rid the hair, and Kirara was all tangled up.

"Hiraikotsu!" Sango launched her large boomerang at Yura and sliced her in half, but even with the demonic aura that has been cut, Yura regenerated herself with her hair **(A/N: sounds wierd, right?)**.

"That won't work on her!" Kagome yelled. She remembered that Yura has an infinitive amount of hair, and the only way to kill her was to break the red skull which was connected to her life. But she couldn't see it anywhere. She informed her friends "Everyone! Try to find a red skull and break it!"

"Too bad that won't help a thing! I can survive without it this time!" As Yura spotted Inuyasha charging at her, she threw a blade at him from behind and ran it threw his chest. Inuyasha let out a yell of pain, and Yura got ready to hit him again. "After I'm finished with you, I'll take that beutiful silver hair of yours as a souvenir." Inuyasha was clinging to chest, where the hole was and barely dogged the next move. "Stop moving around!" Yura threw another blade at him another, but before it hit the hanyou, a sacred arrow sliced through the web and prevented the attack.

"Inuyasha, why don't you rest for a while, we'll handle this!" Kagome yelled to him from his left.

"Why should I? I can take care of myself!"

"Well for one you have a hole in your gut and you can barely move." She shot another arrow. "And for two, you've already done enough work! It's our turn!"

Inuyasha snorted, _"Since when did she become so... selfish? Before Naraku died, she never wanted to fight."_

Kagome noticed that Yura has gotten a lot stronger than before, and this battle was annoying the hell out of her. "I liked you better when you were dead!"

"Sango!" Miroku called "I have a plan! Can you back me up?"

"You got it!" And she threw her weapon.

Miroku was getting closer and closer to Yura until eventually he got close enough to pierce her heart with his staff. Yura still had a few seconds before being completly purified and Miroku took this chance.

"Answer me this before you die, who revived you, and what is his purpose of doing so?" He was desperate to know if it was Naraku. Naraku faked his death once by removig the wind tunnel from Miroku, just to gain more power while everyone relaxed **(A/N: from movie 2)**. The gang wouldn't be surprised if this was another trap.

Yura snickered, "Aww now that's a shame, because I don't know. I just woke up where I was killed and there wasn't a trace of my saviour. Too bad for you I suppose." And with that she and her hair evaporated.

Sango came up to Miroku's side. "This sounds a lot like what Naraku would do. Disappear, only to come back a few weeks later."

"Yeah, this just isn't right, we've been countering more demons for three weeks now, and they're a lot stronger than usual." Inuyasha was holding Tetsusaiga and Kagome's shoulder for support. She was doing her best to support all Inyasha's weight and her voice sounded pretty tired. "Most importantly, they're always coming after us. It seems logical that Naraku is doing all this to distract us."

"Does that mean Naraku's still alive? Or is someone else doing all these stuff?" Shippou's question rang in everyone's ears.

They all stayed deep in thought for a minute, then Miroku spoke, "Right now is not the time to think about all of this. We should treat our wounds first, and then we'll talk about this situation."

"Right" They left for Kaede's village. Once there, Kagome started treating Inuyasha's wounds first, after all, he was the one with the hole in stomach. Like, litteraly.

"First, we should think of the suspects. We have Naraku of course..." Miroku stated.

"But other than him, we don't have anyone else to think about, do we? And besides, he couldn't have known that Yura was one of Inuyasha's first enemies, he didn't even know that Inuyasha woke up from his spell that time!" Sango finished for him.

Inuyasha nodded, "Unless Naraku is reviving some other little friends of his- **OW!** Dammit Kagome, you wrapped the thing around me a little too tight!"

"Oops, sorry, my bad."

"... Anyways, continue, Inuyasha," Miroku urged.

"... Unless Naraku is the one behind all of this, there might be some sort of new enemy trying to get us. The scent on Yura was nothing like Naraku's scent or hers. It smelled more like lavender flowers and graveyard dirt. The Band of Seven may have smelled like graveyard soil, but this scent is different. It smelled more... feminine. And unless Naraku changed his gender by coming back to life, there's no way he's the one doing this."

"So... are you saying that someone else is after us?" Kagome asked. _"Great. Just when I thought I can finally relax in the Feudal Era, another random bad guy shows up, and we have to waste another whole year trying to kill him. GREAT. It's already enough that we have demons to take care of, why can't the bad guys just stay away?" _

Inuyasha explained a little more, "I'm not sure. Naraku could be just hiding his scent so we can't find him... but doubt that bastard's still alive. _Meidou Zangetsuha _should have sent him to the other world."

Kohaku and Kaede came in the little hut. Kaede seemed surprised to see everyone badly wounded. "My, what happened to all of ye?" They explained to her their previous encounter, and what's been going on. Kaede sighed after the story. "It is happening here too, I presume."

Sango's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

"There have been many villages attacked by demons recently, and the have been reeking havoc everywhere."

After a long pause, Miroku stood up. "Well, then, I guess we have no choice."

"Miroku?" Sango looked at him questionly.

"We have to destroy whoever is doing this. Whether it be Naraku or not, we have to stop this."

Sango stood up next to Miroku "We're all with you, of course".

"We are?" Shippou asked in a nervous voice.

"Yes, we are. Why, are you afraid?" Inuyasha teased.

"No I'm not!"

"Really? 'Cause it sure looks like you are, and you call yourself a demon. You act more like a regular fox if you ask me."

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Do not! And besides, who are you to talk, you're afraid of being 'sat' by Kagome! All you do is crash to the ground! You survive all the time! You never take things like a real demon, you're afraid of a human!"

"Why you little... I oughta..."

"That's enough, both of you!" Instantly, Inuyasha and the kitsune both shut up and pouted in thier own corners... as usual.

Inuyasha grumbled a few thing like _"Stupid fox, always trying to get me in trouble. Next time I'll hang him to a tree and leave him there," _or _"Wench, always trying to boss me out of it. Crazy woman's gonna kill me one day. Then, she'll be sorry."_

"Inuyasha..."

The hanyou flinched.

_"Uh oh."_

**_"SIT!" _**Inuyasha then met his old friend, the floor. He still continued mumbling.

_"Great, now we'll need to fix the floor before we leave,"_ Miroku thought desperatly.

Everyone sighed. Not only will this be hard work (not fixing the floor, the journey), but they're also going to have to deal with those two bickering at each other everyday. And it almost made Kagome go crazy last time. And Sango. And Miroku. And Kohaku. And all the villagers.

_"One good thing is coming out of this: the fact that the villagers will have these two out of their hair," _Sango thought to herself.

"Alright, as soon as we are all fully healed we will move out to the village south from here to see if we can get some information." Miroku decided. Everyone else nodded. "We don't know how long this whole adventure will take, so we all have to get our stuff ready. Kagome, you should probably take a visit to your era and make sure you got everything too."

Kagome nodded, "Alright."

She looked up desperatly to the celling, hoping for an answer. _"Will we EVER find peace ?"_

* * *

**This prologue is really tiny compared to the next chapters... and much, much, lamer -_-'. I promise, the next one will be A LOT better.**

**If you got any ideas/advice I'd gladly take them in :)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	2. Meet Hikari

**Chapter 1~!**

**I think this is much bettter than the prologue, so tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the plot and the OCs**

* * *

**~Stars Of the Moon~**

**Chapter 1**

Kagome yawned as the Inutachi continued their way to the next village. Just as planned, they left Kaede's village as soon as the rest of the group recovered, and Kagome had enough time to go to her era to gather up some more supplies.

"Inuyasha, can we take a rest for a while?" Shippou whined from behind the half-demon. "We've been walking for hours now! Are you sure we'll find demons here, Miroku?"

"Shippou's right," said Sango. "I haven't sensed any demonic aura in a long time. I think we should take a break."

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. But let's do this quick."

Kagome got off his back. She took out some bowls of ramen and Inuyasha's ear twichted.

"Okay... First, the ingredients..." Kagome looked at her friends. "Can someone get me some firewood?"

"We're on it," said Miroku. He and Sango hopped onto Kirara's back and flew off.

"Since that's done... I'll need some water." Kagome glanced at Shippou and Inuyasha. "Can you do that?"

"Sure! We'll be right back!" Shippou ran off to the closest river he could find.

Inuyasha was about to go after him, when he turned back to Kagome. "If there's any trouble, don't hesitate to yell for us. And-"

"That won't be necessary, Inuyasha. I can take care of myself, and I have my bow and arrows. I'll be fine. Kohaku here can help me too." Kagome said as she reminded the half-demon of their new friend.

"Feh. Yeah, whatever. Just make sure that you-"

"'Scream if you need help' I get it already!"

Knowing that he shouldn't provoke her any further, Inuyasha ran off without another word.

Kagome sighed. _"I know how much he worries for me... But he should know that I'm getting stronger. I train almost everyday, and I want him to notice me. I seems to work... Only he still doesn't get the picture. He doesn't want to lose me... the way he lost Kikyou."_

The elder priestess (literally) died not long before they killed Naraku. When he learned about her death, Inuyasha was heartbroken and he grieved all day, not really paying attention to any of his friends. Kouga cheered him up when he gave a nice kick on Inuyasha's head. Well, Inuyasha wouldn't exactly call that 'cheering someone up', but at least he stopped sulking over his dead girlfriend, right?

"Alright Kohaku, you can help me open these up," the young miko said as she handed a bowl of ramen to him.

"Oh, okay." Kohaku placed his weapon down.

He didn't have his jewel shard anymore, but thanks to Kikyou, he was able to live normaly again. After the Inutachi defeated Naraku, Kohaku decided to go and live with his sister and her friends. At first, he seemed uncomfortable around them, but then, he got used to everyone. Inuyasha's arrogance, Shippou's annoyingness and Miroku's pervertedness. He still couldn't understand how her sister made frineds with these wierd people. Maybe it's because she knew that Kagome was suffering too.

When everyone came back, Kagome started the fire and boiled the water. Everyone waited patiently.

Everyone except Inuyasha.

His leg would twitch every ten seconds and he would always say something like 'Is it finished yet?' and 'It's called instant noodles so why is it taking so damn long!' every twenty seconds **(A/N: Do the math and that does six twitches and three questions every minute :D)**

And every time Kagome would always say 'It's almost done, so just wait a sec.'

So after three minutes of going through hell, Inuyasha got his serving first. Everyone else knew what would happen if he didn't.

Kagome noticed how peaceful the air felt. She looked at her friends. _"This is how it should always be... A perfect day. No one to disturb us, no demon in sight, just calm-"_

Her thoughts were cut off by a loud **_SLAP! _**and a **_PERVERT! _**

Everyone except a certain couple sighed. _"The only thing that isn't really perfect is the monk's hand."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

After everyone finished, the Inutachi continued their road. Inuyasha dn Kagome were taking the lead, Sango and Kohaku were right behind them, and Miroku was waaaaaayyyy in the back with a red mark on his face. Shippou was on his shoulder and Kirara was on Sango's.

Shippou whispered in Miroku's ear, "You know, you really should stop rubbing Sango's bottom. That doesn't help anyone, and that isn't going to make her like you any better."

Kohaku heard him, and he fell back to Miroku's side. He whispered back, "Shippou's right. You should've noticed by now how Sango looks annoyed everytime you go after a girl. When she and I are alone, she often talks about you, but sometimes, it's nice things, and some other times, it's bad things. Let's just say that... you're stating to lose her. So in the next village, you should probably lay off the women."

Miroku smiled maliciously, "Thank you, Kohaku, but I just simply cannot ignore how the ladies are looking beautiful these days. I can't help myself!"

Kohaku sighed. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He walked back to his sister. _"It looks like he's completly forgotten about what I said..."_

"Are we there yet?" Shippou whinned for probably the thirtieth time today.

"For the last time, quit complaining already!" Inuyasha yelled. "Look, we'll be there sooner or later, and that's it! We already took a rest, so shut your yap, be patient, and stay put like a good, patient kid!"

Shippou pouted. "Sounds like I'm not the only one's who's impatient."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"But seriously, Inuyasha, can't you smell anything? Isn't the village nearby?" Sango asked from behind.

Inuyasha sighed in annyoance and sniffed the air. He seemed alerted all of a sudden, and sniffed again to make sure that he wasn't just smelling Shippou's feet. He whipped around to his friends.

"It's the village alright! But that's not the only thing I smell, there's also the scent of a demon!"

His friends looked a little shocked, but he continued, "Kagome, get on my back. The rest of you will catch up later."

"We'll see you there," said Miroku.

Inuyasha nodded and ran off with Kagome on his back.

Kirara transformed and waited for her master to get on her back. Only... There was something to decide first.

"Kirara can only hold two people at a time, so..." Sango looked at Miroku and Kohaku and back hestitantly.

"Kohaku, you go with Kirara and Sango," said Miroku. Before Sango could object, he quikly assured her, "Don't worry, I can run pretty fast, and I'll catch up with you in no time at all."

Sango narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay..."

She and her brother hopped onto Kirara and Miroku started running to the village with Shippou on his shoulder.

*O*~*O*~*O*

When Inuyasha and Kagome got to the entrance of the village, it was complete chaos. People were either hiding in their homes like the good people they are, or the were either running in circles like the idiots they are.

"THE DEMON IS COMING!"

"EVERYONE RUN!"

Inuyasha couldn't take this anymore. As Kagome got off his back, he caught a running villager by the collar and asked him, "What the hell is going on here?"

The villager didn't seem to be afraid of him. But he must have been panicked because of all the trouble's that's going on. "Are you deaf? Can't you hear the others? The demon's gonna eat us all alive!"

The hanyou growled in his face, "Where is it?"

The villager pointed over his shoulder. "T-there... B-back to where our leader is..."

Inuyasha let him go. "That's all we needed to know." And turning to Kagome, he said, "Let's go, Kagome."

"Right."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Miroku! Do you see that?" Sango called to her friend from above.

"If I'm seeing a giant cloud of smoke, then, yes, I see it!"

"We'd better hurry up!"

Miroku nodded. _"Hold on, Inuyasha. We'll be there soon."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

When Inuyasha and Kagome arrived at the battle scene, they saw a pack of villagers in a circle holding weapons and ready to attack. All of a sudden, a giant fire tiger demon burted out of the ground, and looked around to see the people surronding him.

"Alright, everyone step aside!" called Inuyasha as he pushed through a few people. He pulled out Tetsusaiga and called over to Kagome, "Are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Wait! Stop! What do you think you're doing?" yelled one of the villagers, probably the leader of the group.

Inuyasha looked at him as if he were crazy. "What do you mean 'what do you think you're doing' ? Isn't it obvious? We're going to kill the demon!"

Kagome stared at the people in shock. _"Don't they want to kill it? Unless it's their guardian, then, I understand. But they need help if they want to destroy it!"_

"There will be no need for that." The leader said as he looked over to his men.

And as if on queue, a beautiful young girl bursted out of the trees behind the demon. She took out twin blades which were hanging on her back and literally threw one of them at the tiger demon's hind paw. The demon yelled out in pain as it turned around to face his real enemy.

Inuyasha looked shocked. _"Wait a sec, where did she come from? And what she's holding... Huh? Demon swords? How is that even possible? She smells like a human. And why do those blades look so familiar...?" _Little did he know, Kagome was thinking the same thing.

The demon's eyes burned with fury and with a roar, charged at the girl. It lifted its (remaining) paw above her head, and brought it down, only for the attack to be blocked with the girl's sword. With all the tiger's wieght on her blade, she threw the demon to the ground with a nice push on her weapon.

The tiger stopped the impact by landing on its paws and immediatly ran at his enemy again. It would always be the same moves over and over again. Attack, block, attack and block again.

This went on and on for a little longer, and Inuyasha was getting bored. _"Alright, so the first time I see that girl actually fight, I'm impressed. But honestly! Whe the same thing happens again and again... This is just plain annoying! And why is she always in defensive? Shouldn't she be attacking, too?"_

Just then, the other blade that the girl threw earlier bursted out of behind the demon, and slashed its head off its neck. The young girl caught the blade which was coming at her and grimaced as the blood splattered on her clothes.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. Soon enough, the villagers all ran to thank their saviour.

Inuyasha and Kagome just stood there looking at the crowd. A few seconds later, the rest of the Inutachi arrived.

"About damn time you showed up!" Inuyasha sounded pissed off at them.

Kohaku jumped off Kirara. "Did we miss something?"

"Oh, just the battle which we didn't fight in!" Okay, so he _was_ pissed off.

Shippou hopped into Kagome's arms. "So... if you didn't kill the demon... who did?"

They all turned back to the crowd again and looked at the 'hero'. The villagers were surronding the girl in a huge cirlce.

"Oh, thank you!"

"We never would have done it without your help!"

"How can we ever repay you?"

The girl had a nervous smile on, and she would always say the same thing, "It was nothing, really! And there's no need to give me anything!"

Now that the the Inutachi had a closer look at her, they could tell that she was about sixteen years of age. She had blue and red armor covering the top part of her body, and blue cloth covering the front and back of her legs so she can move them as freely as she wants in battle. She had a white sash around her waist and around her neck was a pendant of a blue dragon.

Her long black hair was tied, and went it down to her waist. Part of her bangs covered a corner of her left eye. Her blue eyes shone brightly in the sunlight. Her voice sounded beautiful; strong, but soft, proud, but warm.

She had twin demonic blades. They were both the size of Tetsusaiga. One had blue curved patterns on it, and the tip of its handle was shapped like a water drop. As for the other, it had red curved patterns on it, and the tip of his handle was shapped like a little flamme. Their sheths were on the girl's back.

Inuyasha and Kagome still couldn't tell why they looked so familiar to them.

When the girl finally saw the strange group, she turned to them and asked, "Who are you?" Her voice didn't sound suspicious, just curious.

Now, all eyes were on the group. Everyone stated feeling nervous with all the attention. Kagome decided to start off, "Actually... We're... Umm... Er..."

Of course, her words weren't helping her friends get anywhere.

The woman smiled and called to the people around her, "I shall speak with these travellers for a moment! Meanwhile, you should search any wounded men and make sure that everyone is alright! Also, I don't want anyone to disturb me with our guests."

"Yes, m'am!"

As soon as the people all left to work, the girl walked up to Inuyasha and his friends. She sighed, "Man, what a pain. I hate having to order a large group people around sometimes. Makes me feel guilty sometimes, ya know?"

Kagome blinked. "_Just a moment ago, she was speaking so wisely. Now she sounds like a regular teenager. And by how she talks, she must act like one too."_

"So, allow me to introduce myself. I am Hikari, legendary healer," said the girl.

At that moment, Miroku, Sango and Kohaku's jaws fell down.

Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou looked at their wierd reaction on their friends faces. _"What's up with them?"_

Miroku managed to find his voice again, and he spoke slowly, "You are Lady Hikari? THE Lady Hikari?"

Hikari smiled, "The one and only. Oh yeah, and forget the whole 'Lady' stuff. I don't look that old, now do I?" She giggled.

"Well, Lady- Ummm... Hikari," Miroku said as he took the girl's hand, "I never would have expected you to be so beauti- OW! Sango, that hurt more than usual!"

"Right now is not the right moment, monk."

Miroku caught Kohaku's look from the corner of his eye, and he didn't need to ask for what he was thinking. _"I **told** you not to flirt with girls."_

Hikari sweat dropped (anime style :D) and continued, "So, who are you? I haven't seen any of you in this village. Are you travelers?"

Seeing that half of the group was still shocked, and that the other half was completly confused, she sighed. "How about we go too my place? Then, you can tell me what you're doing here. And on the way there, you could explain what's going on to your other friends."

She started walking away, until she realised that they weren't following her. She turned around with an amused look on her face, "Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

"Oh, right!" Kagome went first, and then the rest of them followed.

"So... What was the big deal with the three of you back there?" Inuyasha asked Miroku.

The monk seemed shocked. "You don't know about Lady Hikari? Kagome and Shippou, I understand, but... Inuyasha, you should be the one to know the most!"

"I know what a legendary healer is!" His friend snapped. "I just don't know why you're all acting like fishes with your mouthes open like that! Legendary healers are everywhere these days, aren't they?"

At those words, everyone saw Hikari flinch and Miroku immediatly wacked Inuyasha on the head.

"OW! What the hell was that-"

"Don't ever say that in front of Lady Hikari again," Miroku said in a low voice. "And no - legendary healers aren't everywhere today."

Shippou tilted his head to one side. "Why not?"

"Like Sango's demon slayer village, there was a legendary healer village. Legendary healers, along with other regular humans lived there. The healers were very skilled when it came to healing. They knew which herbs to use and what to do everytime. People treated them like Buddah himself. They're very skillful in swordsmanship and martial arts. But what's most surprising is that they're able to wield demonic swords. As you already know, regular humans cannot control the power of a demonic blade, but rumours say that the legendary healers are powerful enough to use them. This gives them demonic abilities, such as the strength of a demon, the speed of a demon and so on."

"Alright, that explains why she's holding a demon sword, but what's this got to do with what I asked? And what do you mean there 'used' to be a village like that?" said Inuyasha.

Miroku looked at him with serious eyes. "It was completly annihilated six years ago."

Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou's eyes widened.

"Oh." Inuyasha looked down.

Sango sighed and explained. "It appears that a pack of demons destroyed it, which was very unexpected, because the healers are usually very good at sensing demonic auras from a far distance. That's what the rumours say, of course. Some people didn't believe it, but when nobody's ever seen a legendary healer for years, we all had to face the truth. Then, about four years later, we discovered that Lady Hikari was still alive. She told us that a few humans were still alive in her village, but she was the last survivor of the legendary healers. Some people still didn't believe that she was alive, so we considered her as a legend of some sort."

Everyone stayed silent, all lost in their thoughts.

Tey jumped when they heard Hikari's voice. "Well, here we are!"

The Inutachi looked up to see a big temple. Judging by the shining walls and big roof, it must have been very luxurious inside.

Their jaws dropped and their eyes went wide. _"She stays in THAT thing while she's here? It must have cost a fortune!"_

Looking at their stunned expressions, Hikari groaned, "The villagers were so desperate for me to kill the demon, they sent me to sleep in this. Honestly, sometimes I wish that they would stop insisting. Anyways, come on in."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"How about I get us some tea?" Hikari asked when the Inutachi entered her room and sat down. Sango and Kagome nodded, and Hikari left the room.

Everyone looked around them. Every single part of the temple was filled with expensive furniture and rare plants.

They didn't wait for very long, since Hikari came in with all their drinks. She handed a cup of tea to Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Kohaku and Miroku, some juice to Shippou, and a bol of milk to Kirara.

"So," she said when she sat down, "My question. First, who are you?"

Miroku cleared his throat, signaling to the other to let him handle this. "I am the monk Miroku, this is the demon slayer Sango, and her brother Kohaku," he sais as he pointed out his friends. "Kagome is a miko, Shippou is the little fox demon, and our 'leader' is Inuyasha."

Kirara mewled at him. "Oh, right. And this is Kirara, Sango's demon cat."

Inuyasha mumbled under his breath, "Thanks for the introducing, monk, but we can talk ourselves."

Hikari smiled, "Ah, so you're that famous group I've hear talking about so much. Although... I heard that you had only three humans, not four."

Kagome explained, "We were three before, but not long ago, Kohaku joined us."

"Ah, I see. So second, why are you here? I would have expected you to stay in your village with all the demons running around these days."

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Should they tell the truth? Should they lie to her?

Before anyone can say anything else, Kagome spoke, "That's why we left. The demons are getting stronger and stronger, so we want to see who's making them react this way. And we have a suspect of out own. You see-"

She was cut off when Inuyasha whispered in her ear, "You're giving too much information there, Kagome. Why are you throwing out all we know? We can't even trust the girl yet!"

Kagome quickly whisepered back, "If she's as great as Sango and Miroku said she was, I'm sure that she can help us!"

Inuyasha snorted, "Alright, fine. I just hope you know what you're doing."

His friend continued, "We used to have an enemy called Naraku."

Hikari's eyes suddenly darkened. "Oh, yes. Him. I heard that bastard's finally dead."

The others were shocked. "You know about him?"

"Well, I only had a few things to finish with him, but that's not the point right now. Go on."

Kagome continued, "We've all had some stuff to deal with him. Anyways, we killed him two months ago, but we fear that he's back to life and that he's the one making all these demons stronger somehow. Also, some of our old enemies are coming back too."

Hikari looked deep in thought for a moment, until she finally said, "So you I guess you sensed the demon and you came down here to check what's going on, am I right?"

They nodded and Hikari sighed. She looked outside the window. "It's getting dark out. You're going to need a place to stay for the night, so... You can stay here."

Miroku bowed, "Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Hikari. We are very greateful, and shall forever be in your dept. In fact..." He walked over to her and took her hands. "Will you consider bearing my children? We can already start tonight if you wish, I wouldn't mind-"

He couldn't finish, since Hiraikotsu met his head, and his head then met the floor. Sango was fuming and everyone sighed.

Hikari spoke to an unconsious Miroku, "Ummm... Are you sure that I can let you stay here?"

She looked down at he clothes and frowned. "Well, shit. I guess I'm going to have to wash up." She looked over at Sango and Kagome. "Looks like you're going to need it too."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Ah, I haven't felt this relaxed since... forever!" Kagome let out a sigh.

"That makes two of us," said Sango.

"You'd better enjoy it while you can," said Hikari, "Because they're won't be enough time for something like this to happen again."

The three girls were in the hot spring while the boys were left inside making the beds. Since all the villagers were out working, and that Miroku was dreaming about a wrold without Hiraikotsu, they didn't need to worry about any peeping toms.

There was a long moment of silence.

Hikari looked up at the sky. "It's at nights like this that I remember my best memories. When I was young, my mother always used to bring me out at night and sing me a song. It would make me feel at peace, and eventually, I'd fall asleep."

"You must have been really happy back then... With your family and all..." said Kagome. But when she just realised what she said, she clamped her mouth shut.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Hikari didn't seem very sad or upset. In fact, she was smiling. "It's alright, don't worry about it."

And after a moment, she added, "Talking about my village's massacre doesn't bother me as much as it did when I was little. I'm getting pretty used to it now, so don't try holding back if you want to ask me quetions. I won't mind."

There was another long moment of silence. The only thing the girls could hear was the crikets in the background.

Finally, Kagome spoke, "Is it really that hard? I mean, having to be the last of your kind?"

Hikari smiled again. "It was hard was I was younger since I didn't have anyone to talk to... but when I came back, I felt less lonely. Mentioning the death of my family doesn't bother me as much as it did before. I had people around me to take care of, and I had a goal. I wanted to take care of everyone the way a true healer did."

"But what annoys me the most," she said rather quickly, "Is the fact that people treat me like a saint. I know that it's because I'm the last of my kind... but I can't help but notice how everyone is so desperate to know me better, to know more of the legendary healers. They respect me, alright, but I wish that some people can treat me the way I want to be... As normal girl, trying to get a normal life. Well, long story short, it's just annoying how they treat me like some old wise guy, you know what I mean?"

Sango and Kagome nodded. Of course they knew how she felt. They feel the same way sometimes when they enter a village.

"Why don't you travel with other people?" Sango asked.

Hikari took a little while to think about that. "I think it's basically because I _can't _travel with others. You know what I said, right? People don't see me as their equal, so if I travel with someone, I might end up having fans around me every time I wake up. Plus, I've also got tons of work to do..."

Kagome and Sango giggled.

"But are you really that busy?" the miko asked. "You _must_ have some free time at least."

The healer thought about that for a moment (again), and finally answered, "Actually... When I'm in a village, I have a lot of work to do, like calming down a few people, healing the injured, and other stuff. But when my job is done, I leave the village to look for others to help. And when everything is alright, I'd just sit down and look into my memories. I think about all the legendary healers I lived with, and sometimes I think I might be able to see them again. But..."

Her eyes sadened and Kagome and Sango didn't want to push her any further.

Her words replayed in Kagome's head, and the priestess realized something. "You said 'might be able to see them again'... I hope you don't mean that you plan on killing yourself to see your friends!"

Hikari laughed a little and smiled, "You're pretty sharp, aren't you? And no, I'm not planning on killing myself. It just means that... I'm not giving up."

"Huh?"

"I'm not giving up on finding some other healers who lived through the massacre. After all, not _all _healers were at the scene of the crime when the killing started. There were others in some different villages. I know that it's like trying to find some ater in a desert, but I still have that little spark of hope in me. I want to talk to some people who understand what I went through, to talk about everything I saw back then. So it's my job to find out if anyone survived..."

After that, none of the three girls said anything.

Kagome stood up, "I'm going inside. I think I had enough for one day. You coming, Sango?"

"Um... No thanks, I'll stay here a little longer."

Kagome shrugged, "Okay then."

She took her towel and looked back at her friend, _"She didn't say much ever since we met Hikari... I wonder what's going on..." _

And she left the two alone.

Sango made sure that Kagome left before looking back at Hikari. She was returning the glance. _"It's now or never."_

_**FLASHBACK**_

"She's here!"

"They're back!"

Little eight-year-old Sango peeked out her window to see what was going on outside. Everyone was huddled up in a circle as if there was something there. She quickly ran outside and grabbed her weapon.

Before she could go any further, her father's hand rested on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Now, now, Sango. This isn't a demon. Listen. They don't sound like they don't sound like they're in trouble, now do they?"

Sango was confused, but listened anyway. _"Father's right. In fact, everyone sounds... happy."_

"Shall we go see who's here?" Sango's father said as he took her hand.

Sango nodded and walked to the group. As she got closer, she could see more of who was there.

It was a woman. A quite beautiful one. There was a little girl behind her, she looked almost exactly like her. She looked nice.

_"Probably mother and daugther," _thought Sango.

She didn't realize that she and her father were right in front of the visitors. Her father smiled warmly at the woman. "Lady Michiko. You have returned."

Lady Michiko smiled back. "Isamu. It has been quite a while, hasn't it?"

Sango looked at her father and back. She didn't understand anything. Then, she remembered the little girl. She looked at the child, and she was looking back. The girl smiled shyly at Sango and gave her a little wave. Sango smiled and waved back. _"She looks pretty nice. I wonder what her name is?"_

'What brings you back here?" she heard her father say. "I would have expected that you have forgotten-"

"Of course I haven't!" Lady Michiko laughed. "But I haven't come back for me..."

She looked at the child behind her and smiled at her encouragingly. The little one blushed slightly and came out of her hiding spot. "Everyone, meet Hikari."

"Sango," Sango heard her father whisper to her, "You will be training with her as of now on."

_"I will?"_

**_END FLASHBACK_**

_"Of course she can't remember!" _Sango yelled to herself. _"That was years ago! How can anyone remember..."_

Before she could think about anything else, the words slipped from her mouth. "Hikari, do you remember me?"

She closed her eyes shut, expecting Hikari to reject her question, but when nothing came, she opened her eyes, Hikari was smiling.

"Of course I do. How can I forget the one person who taught me one of my most frequent moves?"

"You... you still use it?"

"Sure I do! Okay, I made a few modifications, but it's still the same thing, right?"

Sango sighed in relief. "I'm glad. I thought that you might have forgotten all about me. You know, with all the workk you've got to do."

"Hey, I might have a lot of stuff to do, but that doesn't mean I'll lose part of my memory. I'm not going to get old anytime soon."

They both laughed.

Hikari then spoke in an amused voice, "By the way... That's a pretty nnice man you've got under your nose."

Sango stopped laughing and blushed, "I-I don't know what you're t-talking about! Me and Miroku are just friends!"

Hikari winked at her, "Don't try to deny it. I know jealousy when I see it, and that was jealousy in your eyes. You shouldn't be so shy about it. Everyone's going to know eventually."

Sango looked down and blushed even harder. She got an idea and her head shot back up. "Okay, so I like him. What about you? I'm pretty sure you've got a special someone too!"

Hikari flinched and looked away. Seeing that it wasn't exactly the right thing to say, Sango apologised, "O-oh... I'm sorry, I thought that-"

"No, don't worry, it's alright." Hikari smiled at her. "I didn't really find someone to be with yet... I travel a lot, so I doubt that someone would stay with me for that long. But, as the old saying goes, thereare plenty of fishes in the sea. I'll be fine."

"So then," she said after she finished, "How about we go inside?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Ah, I've never felt anything so soft like this!" Shippou exclaimed as he fell onto his bed. Kirara mewled in agreement.

"Well, this temple is pretty rich," said a now consious Miroku. "I wouldn't be surprised if they had a pet tiger with them."

"I would," Inuyasha snorted, "We only find tiger demons these days. Even if they are rich, and even if they did have one, how would the be able to tame it?"

"It's just an expression, Inuyasha, don't take it seriously," said Kagome who started her own bed.

"Hey, we're back!"

Everyone turned around to see Sango and Hikari come in the room. Sango was in her regular kimono, but Hikari's outfit changed.

She wore a light blue kimono which had white lily flowers. Her hair wasn't tied anymore - it was flowing freely in the wind (which came from the window). The only thing that might not have changed was her face and that dragon pendant she was wearing.

Inuyasha and Miroku's mouthes slightly dropped from her appearance. Inuyasha managed to snap out of it and clamp his jaw shut, but Miroku refused to look away. "Why, Hikari, you look rather-"

Hikari cut him off, "Don't bother. I've already heard it a hundred times and over." And she started immitating a man's voice, "Lady Hikari, looking as beautiful as usual, I see. My dear Lady, you seem rather gorgeous today. My Lady, how have you become so divine?"

She, Sango, and Kagome bursted out laughing, and Miroku blushed. "W-well, t-they were telling what they thought! And so I am, for that matter. I-"

He stopped when he saw the warning glance Sango was giving him. He swallowed down hard and quickly nodded to her, getting the message.

Hikari yawned and started walking out the room. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I'll be in the room next door if you need me." She glanced t Sango from te corner of her eye and nodded to her. Sango nodded back, and Hikari left.

Everyone noticed how uncomfortable the girls felt. _"Did they have a fight when I left? No, that can't be right... Sango wouldn't do anything like that," _Kagome thought.

As soon as the healer left, Inuyasha turned to Sango, "What was that about?"

Sango sighed and sat down. Kirara jumped into her arms and instinctly, Sango started petting her. "It's going to be a long story, but I guess I'll have to explain to you sooner or later," she said.

Kagome blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"You see... Hikari and I... We used to know each other ever since we were kids."

Everything was quiet for a moment, until Inuyasha bursted, "WHAT? Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Never mind that. I'll just explain how we know each other."

**_FLASHBACK_**

**(A/N: This is from Sango's dad's POV, back when she wasn't born. And since I didn't want to call him 'Sango's dad', I decided to call him 'Isamu')**

"It's here! There's a demon!"

"Get all the woman and children inside! Quick!"

The leader of the demon slayer village immediatly ran outside and took his weapon. A large bug demon bursted out of the ground and started going after a child laying on the ground._"Oh no you don't!" _

"Hiraikotsu!"

The boomerang hit the demon, but it didn't even make a scratch. Since the bug was distracted, the child managed to run away. Isamu looked around to see his men circling the monster. They got their weapons ready. He then made sure that all the other people were safe. There wasn't anyone in sight. _"Good. Everyone's safe. Now we can take it down without any worries."_

But things didn't go the way he planned. No matter how much his men attacked the demon with their best shot, they were never able to manage any serious wounds. In fact, the only ones who were getting hurt were them.

_"We can't go on like this..." _Isamu thought as he saw his men falling to the ground, exausted, one by one. _"We'll only end up dead if this keeps up."_

Then, a blade bursted out of the trees and slashed off the tail of the demon. It let out a final shreek of pain, and crumbled to the dirt, dead. The remaining men turned around to see where it came from.

A voice sounded from the trees. "The heart of a Hado no bagu lies within its tail, where no one can reach it since it moves constantly."

A women stepped out of the shadows and smiled. "I'm glad I made it in time. Any longer and there might have been a lot more damage."

The voices of Isamu's people rang in the clearing.

"A legendary healer!"

"But how can that be?"

"Their village is so far from here! Why would there be one in these parts?"

With a single hand sign, Isamu silenced everyone and walked up to the woman. He bowed, and said, "We're very grateful for your help. Thank you."

The woman smiled. "There really isn't any need to thank me. Those types of demons don't appear everyday. They're very rare in this area."

"I see... Oh! Where are my manners? I am Isamu, leader of the demon slayers."

The woman laughed and smiled. "Courage..."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your name... it means courge, doesn't it?"

Isamu smiled now. "Yes, it does."

"Courage... The name of a true leader... Yes, that is nice."

The leader was flattered. "Oh! Why, thank you..."

"Like I said, there' no need to be so grteful. Now, I guess that I should introduce myself. I am Michiko."

Looking behind his shoulder at his men, Michiko continued, "It looks like you will need a little bit of help to handle these things. How would you like me to show your men how it's done?"

"B-but that's too much of an honor!"

"Oh, please. It won't be much of a problem. I don't have much to do these days anyway."

Isamu was still shocked. "U-uh... umm..." When he realised that he was stuttering, he shook his head and started off again. "We'd be glad to have your help, my Lady. Thank you."

And when he realized what he just said, he blushed, and Michiko laughed.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Let me guess," said Inuyasha after Sango finished her story. "After your father met Michiko, they got married and lived happily ever after. Am I right?"

Sango and Kohaku raised a brow at him.

"What? Isn't that what's supposed to happen when there's a situation like this?"

Sango sighed. "No, not this time. Lady Michiko did as she said, but she couldn't stay in our village forever. And since she couldn't train with everyone at once, she taught my father, and my father taught the others. After that, she left. She promised that she'd come back one day."

"So... what happened after that?" Kagome urged.

"Time passed by, and Lady Michiko still didn't show up... But when I was eight, she returned... But with someone else. There was a little girl accompanying her. That girl... was Hikari."

She looked at her friends to make sure that they were following. They seemed okay so far, so she continued, "Hikari and I trained together, and we became very close friends. We did almost everything together, and she became like a sister to me. Kohaku was still a very young child at that time, so he deosn't remember that much. Hikari and Lady Michiko stayed in our village for a year, and after that, they left. Like her mother, Hikari promised that she'd come back."

She paused again, and closed her eyes. Her voice trembled, "But two years later, I heard about the village's massacre and I knew that I can never see her again. I lost all hope."

When Miroku placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she relaxed. "Then, four years after that, we learned that Hikari was still alive. I was so glad that she was the one who survived. Ever since then, I continued waiting for her return..."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner about this?" asked Kagome.

"I... umm.. didn't think it was really necessary..."

"It doesn't matter now since you've told us the truth," said Miroku. "I suggest we all get some shut eye and leave the rest of the surprises for tomorow. We've all had enough for one day."

Everyone else nodded and went to sleep. Little did they know, Hikari was still wide awake in the other room.

_"I wonder if I should..." _

_

* * *

_

**Finally finished fixing this! **

**As I said, this is a lot longer and better than the prologue (Idk about better, but I think so :P).**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	3. Slimy Battles

**Chap 2! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, the OC's are mine.**

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* * *

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_**The next morning...**_

"WHAT?"

Hikari covered her ears, "Geez, you guys can be loud sometimes."

The Inutachi were still in shock. "So you're telling us you want to join us?" Kagome asked.

Hikari shrugged, "Well, I mean, if you want. You're right when you say Naraku's behind all this. And I have a score to settle with him too. I'm not saying you should let me in, it's your choice."

After a moment of silence, the group huddled together to discuss about the situation. Shippou exclaimed, "Well I say we let her come! We need all the help we can get if we want to fight ... whoever we're after!"

Inuyasha bonked him on the head, "Nobody asked you for your opinion. You're just a kid, you don't think before you say something. I say we're fine without her."

Kagome objected, "I think Shippou's right, who knows, maybe... the enemy is stronger than Naraku, we might need help. And besides, she's good with healing herbs, that might be useful too." Sango and Kohaku nodded.

"Alright, everyone who wants Hikari in, raise your hand."

Everyone raised their hands/paws, execpt for Inuyasha. Villagers were staring at them. You could see a circle of a few people and all you could see popping out are hands. The villagers started mumbling things like 'What in the world are they doing?', 'They look pretty wierd' and 'Travelers these days, hah! They're just getting crazier and crazier.'

Hikari groaned._ "Come on, you guys, hurry up! People are starting to gather up."_

Inuyasha snorted, "Feh, I still don't trust her."

Miroku raised a brow. "Are you still sulking over the fact she got to kill the demon?"

"No...! I'm just saying... she reactes way too much like a normal teenager! L. Healers** (A/N: I got tired of writing 'legendary healers' so I just decided to say L. Healers. When you see this, just say it like regularly) **talk more like... wise people, like old people! I think she might not even be Hikari the legendary healer."

Sango and Kagome rolled their eyes. Kagome said, "Hikari's always like that. She wants people to see her as a regular women, not some wise saint. Trust me Inuyasha, you won't regret having her in our team."

"Yes, and she is fun to have around. I used to have a lot of fun with her."

Inuyasha snorted once again. "Fine. I'm not gonna ask where you got all that information, but I'm only letting her in because I know you're all going whine about it if I don't."

Almost immediatly, the rest of the group turned to Hikari... and found themselves being watched. The villagers around them instantly left back to their posts. When everyone left, the gang ran to Hikari and tols her the news. She looked happy, and so did the others. Inuyasha couldn't help but smile. _"Maybe I did make the right choice, after all."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

For the next two weeks, Hikari traveled with the Inutachi. She trained with every one of her new friends, and when she fought with Inuyasha, Inuyasha would be the one to lose most of the time. She met Kaede and Master Mushin when they visited them. Hikari knew that Kagome went through time, Inuyasha grew nicer with her and the Inutachi discovered that she had a special sort of flute, the Tsuki no fue, and she played music from time to time. She mostly used it when someone couldn't sleep, or when someone was injured and that she had to clear their mind off some things. It made a beautiful, soothing sound.

They've also learned that one of her demonic blades shot water attacks, and the other, fire attacks. And thanks to her blades, she was able to control the elements of fire, water, and earth, as long as she kept contact with them (which means, touching them). But that wasn't the most biggest surprise.

"So you mean you can... what?"

Hikari sighed for the fifth time. She tried her best to explain. "Alright, I'll say it again, nice and slow. You might already know that I can sence auras from a far distance, right?" Everyone nodded. "The longest distance I can go to is about... three kilometers." She paused. This was going to be the hard part. "Not only that... but I can actually... get into _people's souls... ish. _You're all probably thinking that it means I can control people, but you'll be wrong all the way. It means I can read people's minds, and even fill in the blanks of their memories." She looked at her friends. They seemed to understand so far, so she continued. "That comes from going into their memories. But when I detect auras, I can tell if the person is dead or alive, happy or sad, human or demon, old or young, and blah blah blah. I can also tell if the person's been for how long, and when. For example, a certain person passed by a tree. After he leaves, there are traces of his aura still at that area. I can tell he was there a few days ago, or a week ago. Do you understand better now?"

Everyone nodded. Hikari sighed in relief, _"Finally."_

"But still..." Hikari froze at Inuyasha's words._ "Oh. NO"_

"Do all healers have that ability? I think that would make them more like... God, actually. And why do you keep that as a secret?" Hikari relaxed.

"I'm born with this power, nobody else has it. I have to keep it as a secret if I want people to see me as a normal girl. It's already enough that they're treating me like a saint."

"Well, that sure is... special."

While everyone looked surprised, Shippou looked rather excited, "Can you try to read my mind?"

Hikari gave the kitsune a smile, "Sure, just give me a moment." She closed her eyes. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and spoke. "You're thinking: 'Oh, wow this is so cool, I wonder if she's a better tracker than Inuyasha!'"

Shippou looked pleased, "Yeah! That's right!"

"Hey!" Shippou recieved a bonk on his head. Inuyasha grunted, "That's a nice thing to think about, and I've been helping you destroy Naraku. Geez. Some friend you are."

Everyone laughed. "But I don't always have to close my eyes to read someone's feelings. For example, in battle, I just need to look strait at the person and... read his mind." Hikari said.

"Then why did you close your eyes with Shippou?" Kohaku asked.

"I guess I just do that to look a little wiser. It's fun." She giggled and everyone else sweat dropped.

*O*~*O*~*O*

One day they arrived at a village. The moment they stepped foot in it, villagers came bowing to their feet. "Umm... I'm guess you all have a demon problem here?" Kagome asked.

"Yes! You are demon slayers, aren't you? Please! You must help us!" The man who seemed to be the elder pleaded.

"Fear not, for me and my friends shall slay the demon." Miroku said in his monkly voice. "But of course, we wil need a place to stay in for the night. And there must be a price to be payed for the job."

The villagers all looked at each other with uncertainty. "You see... well..." The villagher chief started, and suddenly burted to tears. "THE DEMON TOOK ALL WE HAD! WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY, AND BARELY ENOUGH FOOD!"

The Inutachi took a closer look at the townspeople, and they looked pretty skiny and thin. They must have been starving. "That's fine, we're not asking for any food or money, we just need some shelter to think things out. We shall slay the demon and save your village." Hikari assured in a soothing voice.

The chief looked at her with gratitude in his eyes, "Oh, thank you, thank you! We are forever in your dept!" He took a closer look at her. "Wait... Are you not... Hikari? The ? Oh my!" He jumped up, and so did the rest of the villagers. "What an honor to meet you, my Lady! Please, please! You must follow me, I shall lead you to your rooms!"

"Umm... okay..." Hikari blinked. _"Oh boy, this is just another one of those villages jumping up and down when they see me. Great." _

They followed him to a... hut? The group stared at the little house... or was that just a big box? There was a sign right next to it which said: 'Visitor's temple'

"Um... is.. this really..." Sango started asking.

"Yes, this is all we have for visitors. We used to have a luxurious temple, but it was destroyed. We could give you another place to stay, really, but... our ancestors would forbid it."

"What do you mean, your ancestors would forbid it?" Inuyasha asked. _"I'm not sleeping in that piece of crap! I'd rather stay in Naraku's body!"_

"This umm... temple used to be a sacred place. We would make important visitors, ill friends, or special guests stay here. That way, our ancestors can watch over them, and save them from any harm. But I guess they weren't able to protect themselves..." The elder explained.

"Uh... That's fine. We.. can stay here if you would like." Hikari spoke. The elder's eyes brightened.

Inuyasha wispered in Hikari's ear, "Hey, I'm not about to stay in that... _thing. _Can't we just sleep in some other person's hut?"

She wispered back, "This village is really desperate to kill the demon, and look how happy it makes them with just the thought of getting rid of their troubles. We have to at least be grateful for his hospitality. And if you don't like it..." She looked up. "You can stay outside, like a good dog. It's going to rain soon anyways."

Inuyasha flinched and mumbled, "Alright, fine, but you owe me."

"Oh, thank you! We must celebrate this!" The villager exclaimed.

"What?"

"You see, everytime someone helps us, we organise a celebration! There might not be much decorations right now, but our spirits shine thanks to you! I shall anounce this to my people!" And with that he hopped off.

The Inutachi sweat dropped. "Wow... well, I guess we'd better start thinking about our tactics right now." Kagome said after a long pause.

"But we don't even know what we're up against. He didn't tell us a thing about the demon." Kohaku pointed out.

"Not quite." Hikari said as she closed her eyes. "The demon we're looking for... **No**. The demon**s** we're looking for are water demons of every kind. They're about a kilometer away from here." She opened her eyes. "And they're not moving... for the moment."

"How many are there?" Miroku asked.

"About five of them."

"No wonder this village is so badly damaged, " Inuyasha said, "A village can live with one demon, but when there's five demon demons attacking at once..."

"Alright then, Hikari can you draw each of them for us?" Sango asked her friend, "We're going to have to know which type they are."

Hikari took a stick and drew a toad and a some sort of giant water snake. She then drew a giant coy fish, a small eel, and a shark. _"We've already encountered some of those before."_ Inuyasha thought.

"You've already battled the toad and snake demon," Hikari said, "But for the last three, you've probably never heard of them. They can all take human forms. The coy fish has hard scales, and makes it almost impossible to get through. You're going to have to kill it by slashing it's head off, where the armour doesn't reach. It transforms into a woman, so keep your eyes peeled." She glanced at Miroku from the corner of her eye. So did Sango.

Miroku saw this. "What? I know a demonic aura when I feel one, and would never fall for a demon."

Sango rolled her eyes, "Yeah and when we came across that demon dressed as a princess, you never would have wanted to flirt with her."

"Can we just move on?" Hikari asked desperatly. She pointed to the eel, "For this one, you can already guess what it does. It shoots out masses of electric energy, be careful with that. One wrong move and it could be the last mistake you'll ever make. It moves around constantly, so you're going to have to know where you're aiming. It can tansform into a kid. A very. Annoying. Kid." She shivered.

"Came across one?" Inuyasha raised a brow.

"Yup, and trust me, you DON'T want to have a kid like that in your life." She continued, "And last but not least, the shark. It's strength is incredible. Place a piece of admant in it's jaw and it'll break into thousands of pieces. It has rock hard armour, and you can only kill it by shooting something into its mouth. He must be the chief of all the others, considering him being the strongest. He can transform into a strong, handsome man, and believe me, you don't see people like that everyday."

"Well, they don't sound that hard to me! I'll just send them to the other world with _Meido Zangetsuha_!" Inuyasha boasted.

"Don't even think about doing that!" Hikari warned.

"Why not?"

"Did you even listen to what I said? Have you _ever_ wondered why those tree are able to transform into humans?"

"Umm... Aren't they just born with that?"

Hikari sighed. "Apparently, no. They aren't born like how we think they do. They come from the dead souls of other living water creatures. They need about three water creatures..." She paused. "And one human soul." Everyone's eyes widened.

"But... they use it from _dead_ people, right?" Shippou asked.

"Luckily, yes. But they have a certain amount of time to live. If they want to live longer, they're going to have to wait until their last day of life time and... steal a human's soul on their own. In other words, take a human's soul to replace the old one. And if Inuyasha sends the demon immediatly to the other world... the human soul can never be free."

"Oh, so that's why we have to kill it physicaly, right? To free the soul." Kagome said.

Hikari smiled. "Exactly."

"Wow, how do you know all that?" Kohaku asked.

"It comes from reading demon's memories and being a legendary healer."

"Now, then," Miroku started, "We're going to have to decide who's taking what. Since they are five and that we are seven people who can fight-"

"Hey! You forgot me! I can fight too!" Shippou cried.

"Alright, fine, _eight _people who could fight, I sugest at least two people take each."

"Me and Kagome will take the shark," Inuyasha chose, "Kagome can shoot an arrow in the demon's jaw, so we'll be fine."

"I'll take the toad demon with Shippou," Kohaku said.

Miroku opened his mouth to talk, but Sango beat him to it. "I'll take the coy fish with Kirara." She said before Miroku could chose.

"Then I guess I'll take the snake demon." Miroku sighed.

"Then... that leaves me... the eel." Hikari froze. "Aw, shit. Can't I just switch with someone? Please? Sango?"

Sango shook her head and smiled, "Sorry, but Kirara likes the taste of fish in her mouth and she really feels like eating a little bit of coy fish every once in a while."

Hikari pouted, "Well, gee, thanks. I guess I might as well-"

**_GONG!_**

Behind her, the villagers were all gathered together and were cheering. The elder must have been the one to sound the gong. Everyone looked pretty happy. "Hikari couldn't you sense their aura?" Inuyasha growled while covering his ears.

"Well, excuse me! I was busy trying to get some other demon to beat up instead of an annoying eel!"

"My friends, the party will take place tonight! Please, allow our women to get you prepared." The elder spoke.

"Why we would love to! In fact, I could dress them myself - **OW!" **Sango wacked him once again.

Sango said in an annoyed voice, "He was talking to us women, monk. And I'm sure the women don't need your help. _You_ can go somewhere else. Maybe you can help the _old _women dress up instead."

She turned his face to where old people were. He spotted about six old women waving at him flirtingly and he shivered. "Um... t-that won't be necessary, Sango! Me and Inuyasha will stay here, why don't you ladies go and dress up?"

Sango gave a joyful-enough-to-scare-you smile at him. "Good monk."

"Sould we really get going?" Kagome wispered to Hikari.

"I guess we should, I mean, they're going through all this trouble just for us, we're going to have to help them."

A woman, probably the daughter of the elder, walked up to Kagome, Sango and Hikari. "Please, follow me. I will give you the best clothes we have."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Does this make me look fat?" Hikari asked her friends. They have entered the elder's temple, and they couldn't help but feel jealous at how the temple looked a lot better then the one they're staying at. The daughter of the elder (they learned that her name was Haru) had a full wardrobe of beautiful clothing.

When Kagome asked why these weren't damaged, Haru answered, "I've kept them in a secret place for a very long time. This the only area where the demons haven't attacked yet."

"Hikari, you look gorgeous!" Sango assured. Hikari was wearing a white kimono with red flowers and petals. She wore a little bit of jewelry, her hair was tied, and she had a lily flower on her head.

"Why don't you take off that necklace of yours?" Kagome asked. "I'm sure you'll look better without it."

"Uh... I'll just keep it with me. It's really precious to me." Hikari said as she held her dragon pendant in her hands.

"Alright then... Oh! Hey, look. How's this?" Kagome asked. She showed her friends a pink kimono with shining green leaves. It may not sound like much, but it was beautiful.

Hikari gave her a thumbs up, "Perfect for someone like you! I'm sure Inuyasha would like it too." She winked at her and Kagome blushed.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put it on!" Sango urged. "While that, I'll still need to find something... Ah! Found one!" She held a plain green dress. It came with a fan and a feather. She placed the feather on her head. She turned to her friends, "Look, I am Kagura the wind sorceress, and I think Naraku is a fat jack-ass!" All three girls bursted out laughing.

Suddenly, Hikari froze. Her friends noticed how uncomfortable she looked. "Hey, are you okay?"

There was a brief silence, and then, Hikari shook her head as if to clear her mind. "Listen, there's something wrong, I sensed something..." She whispered something to her friends and they gasped.

"What, already?" Sango asked desperatly.

Hikari nodded, "Yeah, so we're going to have to get ready..."

"But we can't leave the celebration. After all, we are the guests of honor. And what about Inuyasha and the others? They don't know about this!"

"I'm sure Inuyasha can smell them, and we'll try to warn the rest of the group. But I wonder how we'll..." She stopped for a moment, then she got an idea. She smiled. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do..."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"They sure are taking a lot of time," Inuyasha noticed. "They've been in there for an hour already."

"Well, all we can do is sit patiently and wait." Miroku stated. He and Kohaku were playing a game of shogi (a japanese chess game) on the floor, and Kohaku was winning. "Since when did you become so good at this, Kohaku?"

Kohaku smiled, "Hikari showed me some tactics... ah! Checkmate!"

"What? Already...? Darn it! I should've seen that coming!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

Kirara, who was playing with Shippou mewled to three girls coming their way. She jumped into one of the girl's arms. "Hi, Kirara!" The other boys turned to them and their jaws dropped open.

There was Hikari, Kagome and Sango in all their beautiful glory. Inuyasha was staring at Kagome, while Miroku was staring at Sango. They never would have guessed they would look that beautiful. _"Well... Damn." _

"Sooooo? How do we look?" Kagome asked Inuyasha as she twirled around.

"Umm... uh..." Inuyasha was blushing furiously.

"Save it for later! The party's gonna start soon, it's your turn now," Hikari said as she started pulling the boys over to the elder's temple.

"But we're fine on our own!" Inuyasha protested, and Hikari stopped.

"You sure? All of you?" The men nodded. "Well then! Don't balme me if Kagome or Sango fall for another man." She wispered the last part and Inuyasha and Miroku blushed. She left them there and walked to Kagome and Sango. "They don't want to change. Since we have nothing to do now, I think we should start helping out the villagers organise the party. How's that?" She called the boys behind her.

"Sounds like a plan, " Sango said as she jumped on Kirara, who tranformed. "We'll meet here in two hours, is that fine?" Hikari nodded, and Sango and Kirara flew off.

"Inuysha!" Kagome called, "Why don't we go find something to do?"

"Uh... Sure!" He snapped out of his thoughts and jumped to Kagome. She got onto his back and they ran off.

"Miroku! You and Kohaku go find someone to help, Shippou, you're coming with me." Hikari said.

"Alright then, let's go!"

Miroku and Kohaku were left alone. "Umm... aren't we supposed to do something by now?" Kohaku asked.

"I guess we should. Come, Kohaku, we must find out-" He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw young girls giggling not far away. They were hanging up lanterns. "...We must find out what those girls are up to! They could fall, so we must do it for them instead! It may be too dangerous for a woman's job!" And with that, he ran off.

Kohaku sighed, _"Great, seven other friends to be with and I have to be the one stuck with the lecherous monk."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

So, everyone got to work. Sango was helping some young women who needed advice on what to wear. She was losing a little bit of patience. The girls won't keep asking questions like, 'Does this look good on me?', or 'Do you think I'd go better with red, or white?'. And sometimes, they'd forget what they we doing and turn all their attention into little kitten Kirara. 'Oh, wow! She's so cute, can I pet her?'. Kirara couldn't even wash herself because of all the dirty hands who touched her. She was getting annoyed too.

Sango sighed, _"Oh, boy. I knew I should've went with watering the plants." _She looked at Kirara's ruffled fur. _"And I'm sure Kirara would have liked that better too."_

Inuyasha and Kagome were helping stting the food and the decorations. Kagome was setting the table, when...

_**BOOM!**_

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said in a low tone. "Can't you be any more careful?"

"Well, excuse me! You're not the one having to put all the decorations and getting tangled in them!" Inuyasha was indeed stuck in a ton of decorations, and the villagers were all laughing at him. Inuyasha growled, "I wonder if it would have been better to go to towards the West instead."

Kagome sighed, "Don't worry, at least we're doing the village a favor. Besides, they're going through all this trouble just for us. They don't have much nice things, but at least they're happy now."

Inuyasha grunted, _"I just hope this'll be over soon."_

Hikari and Shippou were taking care of making the food. Shippou couldn't help but notice how many men would try to flirt with Hikari everytime she handed some food over to them. She always kept a smile on, but even Shippou could tell that she really didn't care about them. _"Must be because she's pretty. I understand, after all, she's probably the most beautiful girl they'll ever see."_

"I must say, Lady Hikari, these dumplings smell awfully nice." A young man said as he smelled the food Hikari made. He took out a bite from the dumping. He got closer and closer to her.

"Umm.. thank you?" She gently moved away from him, and he followed her.

He tried to sound sedutive as he spoke into her ear, "Lady Hikari, to be honest, I've never tasted something so good... and I've never seen such a beauty as yours..."

_"Oh, great. Not another one... ! ?" _Hikari suddenly flinched. She felt something rubbing her bottom, and she felt a thousand veins popping in her head.

There was a loud_** "JERK!" **_followed by a **_SLAP! _**Shippou ran into the room and saw a pissed off Hikari and an unconcious man on the floor.

"Umm... Did I miss something?" Shippou sweat dropped.

Hikari sighed, "No, it's nothing. Shippou, can you do me a favor? Can you bring this guy to someone and say a log fell on him? He's going to need someone to take care of him. Thanks."

"Umm... alright..."

Kohaku and Miroku were helping a few women place the lanterns. Um... let's rephrase that. Kohaku was helping to place lanterns while Miroku was telling women their fortune. AKA, flirting with them. Ah, that's better.

"Ah, lets see... oh! I see, you're going to meet a fine man and have a boy and a girl." Miroku said to the women in front of him. He was reading the hand lines to tell their future (*ahem* fake*). Kohaku was trying to place a lantern, but couldn't reach the hanger.

"Hey, Miroku, can you help me out here? You're taller than me, you can hang it!"

"Oh, sure Kohaku, as soon as I finish with these beautiful ladies... Now where were we? Oh, yes, that's right! So I ran behind the demon and taunted him, 'You cannot win against the monk Miroku, give up!', but of course, he attacked me, all in vain. I jumped over him and..."

Kohaku rolled his eyes. _"If he had his Wind Tunnel, I'm sure he would have just sucked the demon up intead of fighting fair." _He suddenly lost balance and fell to the ground, and along with him, the lanterns.

He inwardly growled, _"So much for teamwork, now I'll have to do this on my own."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

When they all came back to their rendez-vous point, they looked all wiped out. Inuyasha's hair was a mess, Hikari and Sango's eyes looked really tired, Kagome's hands were red, Kohaku looked pissed off, Kirara's fur was ruffled, and Shippou's tail was full of flour. The only one who looked fine was Miroku. They all stared at him.

"What? I've still done a lot of work, and had enough energy to spend!" Kohaku growled loudly enough for everyone to hear. The rest of the group all looked at him.

"What did he do this time?" Sango asked.

"Flirt. That's what."

Miroku was very nervous, "K-Kohaku, w-why I did no such thing! I simply helped the w-women get rid of t-their troubles for their future, n-nothing more! I-"

"Spare us the excuses, monk!" Inuyasha and Hikari pulled up their sleves, Sango pulled out Hiraikotsu, and Kohaku got his weapon. "Got anything to say for yourself?"

"I-I um..."

"He's already said enough! Let's get him!"

Next thing you know, Miroku has not one, but _four_ big bumps on his head. "That'll teach you a thing or two about resting on the job." Inuyasha growled.

"On the contrary," Hikari sorted out, "That _might _teach him a thing or two. If he doesn't learn, then we'll have to send him eight wacks."

**_That night..._**

"My friends! Were are gathered tonight to celebrate the arrival of our saviours!" The elder spoke and the crowd below him cheered. The Inutachi were right next to the elder and they felt rather uncomfortable. "Please, you must share some of your words of wisedom with us!"

Miroku was about to talk, but since Hikari didn't want to hear anything coming from that dirty mouth of his, she beat him to it, "Always... be... happy?"

Well that was a failure. Still, the villagers seemed to take it quite well, the chief thanked her once again and everyone started dancing. _"What sort of village is this?" _Inuyasha thought.

Almost immediatly after the... 'meeting', the Inutachi were invaded by a swarm of people and eventually, they lost each other. Shippou was able to fly away, and he found a breathless, panting Kohaku in an alley. "Hey, Kohaku!"

Kohaku looked up and saw Shippou in his... ummm... pink... thing form. "Shippou, it's you! I never would have thought to get out of there alive."

"Yeah, me neither. Hey, have you seen the others? I can't find them anywhere." Kohaku remained silent.

_"That's odd... usually he likes talking to me..."_ Shippou was getting worrired. "Kohaku? Is there something- AHHHHH!" He cried as Kohaku picked him up and jumped.

"Well, that's interesting, a demon slayer accompanied by a fox..." A voice from the shadows spoke. Shippou and Kohaku turned to see a toad demon walking towards them. "You were lucky to dodge my attack before, but can you keep up like that forever?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"Perfect, now how will I find my way to the ladies?"_ Miroku thought desperatly. He had ran as fast as he could from the old women, and now, he didn't know where he ended up in. He glanced around him. _"First things first, find water, or a water source_. _Where there is water, there is people, and when there's people, there's women._" That was his inner pervert talking just now.

He walked around and, after 15 minutes, he found a small river. _"Ah, a river! But..." _He looked around_. "There aren't any people. That's odd... Well, all this searching has got dehydrated, I'd better take advantage of this." _He got down to his knees and started drinking some water. _"Ah, refreshing." _

He turned around to walk away, but he stoped when he felt a demonic aura. _"A demon. Could this be one of the demons who were attacking the village?" _Before he could think about anything alse, a giant tail surged from the water and blocked Miroku's way out.

"Once someone enteres my realm, there will be no escape. Ah, a monk. I haven't had some of those in a while." Miroku whipped around to see the snake demon.

"So, I assume you're one of the water demons." Miroku got ready to defend himself. _"So much for 'no people around'."_

The snake sickered, "Yes, I am. My friends and I noticed your arrival, and we decided to take advantage of this. After we devour your souls, we shall be the strongest water demons in demon history!"

Miroku raised a brow, _"There's a demon history? Anyways, no time to think about that now."_

"I will never allow to die by the hands... uh... by the sclaes of a weak demon like you!"

"Oh really? We shall see about that! Prepare yourself, monk, for this will be your last battle!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

Kagome was walking around the village looking for her friends. _"Wow, I've never seen the village this far... Ah! Doesn't that mean I'm lost? Oh great, now what do I do...? Wait, I'll ask someone to give me directions, yeah! That'll work!" _

She walked and walked until she finally found some men talking to each other. _"They look pretty macho... They wouldn't turn down a defensless girl, would they? They look like they know where they're going... but at the same time, they look pretty stupid. Ahhhhh... Now what do I do? Out of all the people I can ask directions for, I have to find a gang of macho and maybe even perverted men instead of a nice, gentle girl!"_

"Hey there!"

Kagome froze and looked up. One of the men were talking to her. He looked strong, and very handsome. Any girl would have fallen for him instantly. Yet... there was something about him that made Kagome feel uncomfortable.

"Ummm... Hello?" Kagome said in an uncertain voice.

The man laughed and walked up to her, "You sure look lost, would you like to lead you to the village?"

Kagome nodded, "Oh yes! That's right...! Thank you." She still felt really uncomfortable near him. She kept her distance. They walked away from the other men. And as they spent more time walking to the village, Kagome felt more and more uncomfortable. She felt like as if she was going somewhere else dangerous. As if this... man was leading her somewhere else... other than the village...

"Um, excuse me...? But are you sure we're going the right way? I don't think we're getting any closer to where I'm going."

The man smiled. It almost looked evil. "Oh, don't worry we're real close. It's just a few more minutes away."

But that was just it. After a few minutes, they weren't close to civilisation at all. In fact, they were just in front of a little lake. "Are you sure you know the way? This isn't the_ village _I was looking for! And why did you-" and suddenly it became very clear to Kagome. She was frozen to the spot._ "The lake. Oh, no. Don't tell me..."_

She turned around very slowly and saw the 'man' transforming into its former self. "Ah, that feels much better." It said in its rough voice, "It has been a while since a I have seen a priestess before. So you've finally noticed, huh? I am one of the great water demons! You should be grateful, young miko. You will soon be part of the future ruler of all water demons!"

Kagome was disgusted, "I'd rather eat one of Naraku's tentacles than become the body of some overgown fish!"

"First, I don't even want to know who's this Naraku, and second, who do you think you're calling an overgrown fish? I am a shark!" The water demon said as it got ready to attack. He came closer and closer to Kagome.

Kagome reached behind her... when she realized she didn't bring her bow and arrows. _"SHIT!" _She turned to her oppenent, who was charging at her with incredible speed. Kagome was defenceless. She didn't have anything to attack with. She was alone.

_"Oh God, someone, please help me get out of this... Sango, Miroku... Inuyasha!"_

**"WIND SCAR!"**

The wind scar blew the demon to a tree. Kagome turned to see her saviour, which was of course, Inuyasha. "Inuyasha! How did you find me?"

"Isn't it pretty obvious? I tracked down your scent and followed you! When I saw the demon's true form, and saw it attacking you, I couldn't just stand there and watch! Oh yeah, here." He handed Kagome her bow and arrows. Apparently, the romantic moment couldn't last forever, since the demon was up and still alive.

"That was a lucky shot..." It said as it wiped out a trail a blood from the corner of its mouth, "But apparently, that will be the last shot you'll ever get. I'll take both of you down!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Phew, that was a close one. Another moment later and we could have been squashed." Sango and Kirara managed to get away from the crazed crowd. She and Kirara were able to fly off, and it seemed as if the villagers didn't notice. Kirara growled and Sango assured her friend, "Yes, I know, humans can be strange and wierd sometimes, but that's just how we show our gratitude. Well, how _they_ show their gratitude. It's not their fault if they're crazy." Kirara snorted.

They continued flying, until Sango saw Kohaku in an alley. "Kirara, there's Kohaku. You know what to do." But by the time they flew down to him, Kohaku was already gone, and there was no sign of him.

"I wonder where he left to? He should know that this area is suspicious." Kirara comforted her by placing her head under Sango's arm. "I know, I shouldn't be worried about him, but I can't help but think that might get hurt. I don't want to lose him again..." Kirara licked her face and Sango smiled, "And I guess you don't want to lose him either."

Then, Kirara stopped licking her. She turned to the shawdowed part of the alley and ran off in that direction. "Kirara!" Sango ran after her.

_"What's gotten into her?"_

Sango ran for what seemed like half and hour and finally caught up with Kirara. The cat demon was growling at something in front of her. It was... a women.

_"A women? Why is Kirara so worked up about..."_ And that's when she felt the demonic aura around the girl. _"I see, so this is the demon we're looking for."_

"Hello, traveler, what are you doing out here? This area is dangerous, there could be demons around here." The 'girl' said in her sharp voice.

Sango decided to play along, "I was searching for my brother, he ran in here and I'm still searching for him."

Kirara was growling even more. Sango was doing her best to hold her friend back from silicing the demon in half._ "Come on, Kirara. Can't the coy fish eating wait for later? We might be able to get the demon from behind if we play the act." _It's at times like this she wished she was with Hikari.

The demon chuckled, "I think you should give up."

This caught Sango completly off guard, "What do you mean I should give up?"

It chuckled again, "You won't find him. Well, not alive at least."

Sango got into a defensive stance as the demon changed into its normal form. Kirara got ready to attack. Like Hikari said, this demon really must have had strong armour, because its scales were literally shining in the moonlight.

"But don't worry," It said in its now icy voice, "You'll be able to see him in the other world when you join him!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"Great, now what?" _Hikari looked up to the sky. After the akward meeting, she was constantly being followed by other men. She got really annoyed, so she told them she'd go for a walk in the forst. Big mistake. The men still continued following her, and she didn't have any other choice but to knock them out cold. The next thing she knew, she was lost in the forest. Not that she was really lost, after all, she can find her way out by following the aura of the villagers, but she really didn't want to go back and explain everything. She would rather stay alone then say that she knocked out some of the strongest men.

She sighed and lied down on the soft, cool grass._ "I'm glad I got rid of those guys, but I'm getting sooo bored. I wonder what the others are doing... Hah! Probably having more fun then me, I suppose. Well, there's only one way to find out." _She sent her aura going wide to about two kilometers and saw her friends. She saw Kohaku and Shippou fighting with the toad demon, there was Miroku with the snake, Inuyasha and Kagome with the shark, and Sango and Kirara with the coy fish.

She pouted and cried out to the sky, "Well, **SHIT**. While my friends are out there kicking demon-ass, I'm stuck doing nothing! This-" She stoped when she heard the giggle of a little kid. She immediatly knew what was going on.

_"Well, what do you know? I guess I am going to have some fun."_

She got up and followed the sound of the giggle. And finally she found the source of the laughing. No surprise, it's the annoying, lazy eel dressed as a kid.

"What are you laughing at?" Hikari raised a brow. She really didn't want to know, though.

The 'kid' continued giggling, "Because of your complaining."

"And that's something to laugh at?"

"Yeah, it's stupid and wierd. So that means _you're _stupid and wierd."

Hikari felt veins popping on her head. This is why she hated this kid... eel... whatever. "Okay, just give it up the annoying little kid act, and face me like a real demon, will you?"

The demon giggled once again, "Well, you got me..." It changed into an eel. A disgusting, wet, annoying eel. The smell was probably strong enough to send Inuyasha running with his tail between his legs. Hikari pinched her nose.

"Dammit, didn't you ever take a bath?" And when she just realized what she said, she slapped her forehead. _"Some stupid comeback! He **lives **in a bath, Hikari!"_

It didn't seem to bother the demon, though. "Well, you'd better deal with it! Will my scent kill you first..." He charged to attack her, "...or will it be my lighting!"

* * *

**Battle starting! BTW this doesn't have much to do with the whole story, it just makes a small part.**

**For those who are waiting for the Band of Seven, fear not! They're coming in the next chapter!**

**Hope you liked this one better :D**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	4. End of Slimy Battles

**Chapter 3~!**

**Disclaimer: If I really owned Inuyasha, Bankotsu would have stayed alive, and Hikari would have been real. T.T**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 3**

"Well, that's interesting, a demon slayer accompanied by a fox..." A voice from the shadows spoke. Shippou and Kohaku turned to see a toad demon walking towards them. "You were lucky to dodge my attack before, but can you keep up like that forever?"

Kohaku got into a defensive stance, _"I would fight if I could... But I don't have my weapon... I'm lucky Hikari taught me some martial arts, maybe I can use that to kill it... Maybe?"_

"Why, you look deep in thought. Are you thinking of how you would like to run away?" The toad spoke. Kohaku and Shippou were now able to see its ugly form. It was fat, and it had plenty of dots on his face. Pimples? Zits? They couldn't tell. Shippou recoiled from the demon's apperance.

"Boy, am I glad I was born a fox demon." He wispered to Kohaku's ear. The boy lightly chuckled.

"I heard that!" The toad shot out its tongue and tried to hit Shippou. Kohaku jumped again, and this time, he tried to hit the tongue. The tongue continued going after them, and Kohaku looked around desperatly for something he could use to attack. He couldn't spot anything if he continued to move around.

He reached into a pocket, _"All I have is demon poison..." _After countless tries of trying to stand still while the demon was attacking, he got an idea.

_"Maybe..." _He glanced at Shippou, who's fur was standing on end and trembling hard enough to make Kohaku lose balance. _"It might just work." _He ran away from the demon as fast as he can.

"Hey! Aren't we supposed to beat him up?" Shippou said as Kohaku ran.

"I know that! I've got a plan, so listen carefuly." He wispered something into Shippou's ear, and the fox demon's eyes widened.

"WHAT? I can't do that! T-that's like..."

"You could at least give it a try!" And before Shippou had any time to protest, Kohaku threw him at the toad. "Now go!"

"GAHHH!" He landed on the wet floor, and he looked up. The ugly toad was standing in front of him in all his ugly form and looking at him with his big ugly eyes.

"What do you know, I guess I didn't need to chase you for long. You came to me."

Shippou started panicking. Then, he remembered to go with the plan. "Transform!" He changed to his pink balloon form right before the toad's hand reached for him. He started taunting the demon, "You're going to have to have better aim if you want to get me!"

"You little..." The toad shot his tongue to the kitsune, but missed.

Shippou stuck out his tongue, "Ha ha ! I bet your tongue reaches your feet! You probably spit enough to make a whole village flood!"

"Silence, you little wrech!" This time, he shot out some sort of poisonous gas at him. Shippou was able to cover himself from the poison.

"Ew! Your breath stinks! Did you ever brush your teeth?" Shippou spotted Kohaku waving at him from behind the toad. _"Alright, time for phase two." _

By now, the toad was red with fury. It took one last shot at Shippou with it's tongue. This time though, Shippou didn't avoid the attack. He shot his Fox Fire on the toad's tongue, which made it burn. The toad let out a yell of pain, and immediatly brought it's tongue back in it's mouth. That didn't help at all. It's mouth caught a little fire, making it look like as if the toad was breathing fire. This gave Kohaku, who was still behind the demon, a chance to strike it down once and for all.

"Nice job, Shippou!" He yelled to the fox. _"Now, it's my turn." _He took out a sharp stick which he spred some of the poison he had. He ran towards the demon, and pierced his heart with his 'weapon'. The toad froze for a moment, coughed up some blood, and fell to the floor. His body jerked about twice, and it stood still, dead.

Kohaku sighed, and sat down on the floor. _"One demon down, four to go." _

Shippou jumped up to him, "Your plan worked, Kohaku! We killed one of the demons!"

Kohaku laughed at his entusiam. He looked at the dead body of the toad, and stood up. "Come on, we have to tell the villagers we took down a demon. They'll have one less thing to worry about." Shippou nodded. They could see the lights of the village, so they were able to head back without anyt problem. They burried the body, and left for the village.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Oh really? We shall see about that! Prepare yourself, monk, for this will be your last battle!"

The snake demon charged at Miroku, and Miroku dodged it with ease. The demon kept on coming after him. They continued doing the same thing over and over again. Attack, dodge, attack, dodge. When when the overgrown snake's tail came for him, Miroku placed a sutra on it. It only purified a little part of the tail, and Miroku stared in awe.

The demon chuckled, "Those little scraps of paper won't work on me. You can place as many as you like on me, it won't change a thing. They might work on little weakling demons, but not on me!" It yelled as it stormed at Miroku. This time, the monk didn't have any time to react, and got hit on his right shoulder.

He held his wound, _"My sutras don't have any affect on him? If only if I had my Wind Tunnel like last time, then I would have just sucked him up! But I'll have to find some other tactic… Come on, Miroku, think! What would Inuyasha and Sango do right now?" _He imagined his half demon friend in front the large snake demon with his sword ready, and Sango with her Hiraikotsu. _"Okay, maybe try to cut the demon in half with a giant sword or a giant boomerang, but this isn't the type of situation for that! I can't do that with a little staff! Come on, what can I do?" _Then, Hikari's words about the shark demon popped into his head.

_"It has rock hard armour, and you can only kill it by shooting something into its mouth."_

_"That's it!" _He looked at the demon. _"My sutras won't work on him if I attack from outside. It's body is like some sort of armour to me. So I have to attack from the inside. If I shoot a sutra or my staff in its mouth, then maybe…" _He looked from the demon's head to the tail and back. _"It might just work."_

The demon evilly smiled, "Are you standing there for me to get you? Why, I'm touched! Apparently, that will lead to your death!" The demon sent its tail coming after Miroku once again, but Miroku didn't avoid the attack this time. Instead, he ran towards the tail, and jumped onto it. The demon blinked, and started to shake its tail vigourously. "GET OFF OF ME!" But Miroku held on tight.

While the demon was busy, he took out his staff and placed his sutras on it. After placing about ten sutras, he made sure all of then were good in place. He looked at the demon's head. _"I sure hope this works… But what if the demon isn't affected on the inside either?" _That thought horrified him. "_...__ Well, I'll just have to pray that he isn't completely sutra-proof." _

When the demon stopped his crazy dance, he saw Miroku running at him. It smiled and opened its mouth to attack, "Now you'll die!"

"I don't think so!" Miroku yelled as he threw his staff into the snake's throat. It swallowed the staff. Miroku jumped off the demon.

The overgrown snake was confused for a moment, and it chuckled, "Doing that was useless. I thought you were smart, monk, but I guess I over-estimated you. That wand of yours was pretty tasty, and I wonder if you'll taste as good... There's only one way to find out!"

Miroku wasn't giving up. _"Come on… It has to make **some** sort of reaction…"_

Just when the demon was about to attack Miroku, a white light shined from it throat. The light was getting brighter and brighter. "What- what is the meaning of this?" Suddenly, the light bursted out of the demon's body, and the giant snake let out a shriek of pain. Miroku had to cover his eyes because of all the brightness. When he decided it was safe enough to take a look, he opened his eyes and looked around. There were bits of demonic flesh and demonic blood everywhere. Even on his clothes. His staff was floating on the lake's surface.

_"Am I glad that's over..." _He thought as he walked to the lake to pick up his staff. _"One of the demons are dead, so that's one thing done on the list. And I'll have a new story to tell... But..." _As he took his weapon, he looked at his reflection. _"What will the ladies think of me when they see me like this?"_

Ah, if only the perverted voice in Miroku's head never existed, then he would have been married to Sango looooong ago. Too bad he was a leacher.

He turned to the forest behind him. _"Right. I have to go back to the others and tell them the news. But how will I find the village?" _He stood there, thoughtful for a moment, and he started walking. _"Find water. Where there's water, there's people. Where there's people, there's probably my friends... but what's **always** with people, there's women."_

**Sigh. **

*O*~*O*~*O*

"That was a lucky shot... But apparently, that will be the last shot you'll ever get. I'll take both of you down!"

"We'll see about that!" Inuyasha stormed at his opponent. "WIND SCAR!"

"The same attack again? You've got to be kidding!" The walking fish simply jumped out of the way and charged at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha! Be careful! He's coming at you from behind!" Kagome yelled.

"What?" Inuyasha turned around, but it was too late. The shark bit down onto Inuyasha's arm and Inuyasha let out a yell of pain.

"Your blood... You're a half demon, aren't you? Your blood disgusts me. No wonder you're so weak. You're not even worth devouring." Inuyasha growled at the demon. He tried to hit him, but failed. The demon wouldn't let go of his prey. "You shouldn't try to move. I'll only bite harder. Once I bite something, I won't let go no matter what. You should just-" He stoped when he saw a sacred arrow coming towards him. He let go Inuyasha and turned to Kagome.

"Are you sure you won't let go no matter what? Are you sure that wasn't just a lie to make you sound powerful? You're just a wannabe!" Kagome yelled at him.

"Thanks Kagome," Inuyasha held his wounded arm. "I owe you one." She smiled at him and turned back to the demon.

"I don't even know what a wannabe is, but I can say that it's not good." It smiled, "But I what do know is that you won't be able to move that much in those clothes. You may be able to shoot me with your arrows..." He flexed his fins, "But you won't be able to move fast enough to get away from me."

Inuyasha flinched and looked at Kagome, _"That's true. Kagome can't move in that kimono. And with my wounded arm, I won't be able to protect her well enough either. There must be something I can do!"_

But Kagome didn't seem worried at all. In fact, she had a smile on her face. "I figured you'd say that." Something unexpected happened. She ripped off her kimono, and Inuyasha saw that Kagome's original clothes were already there.

He was shocked and surprised, _"How... how did she...?"_

Kagome grinned, "Hikari already sensed your auras coming when we changed into our kimonos. We knew we were going to have to fight you anyways, and we knew we couldn't fight in dresses, so we made up a little plan. Now, I can move as freely as I want." She turned to Inuyasha. "Impressed?"

The hanyou smiled at her, "Very."

_"I never would have expected something like this... but I can say I'm pretty proud."_

"Alright, alright, so you can move!" The demon roared. It looked annoyed. "That won't stop me from killing you both!"

"Always the same replies, find some other lines to say, will ya!" Inuyasha yelled as he got ready to attack again. He didn't care about his god damn injury. He just wanted to get this over with. He glanced at Kagome and he knew she was thinking the same thing.

Now, the shark demon was probably getting pissed off, "Hey! Keep your attention on the problem! Or else..." He charged at Kagome, "I'll come at you first!"

"Don't even try!" Inuyasha ran to Kagome and blocked another bite from the shark demon. With all the demon's wieght on his sword, he threw the demon away from Kagome with Tetsusaiga. He wispered something to Kagome, and she nodded. Inuyasha stormed at the demon again. The shark was back up.

"Trying to protect your girlfriend, eh?" It charged after Inuyasha. Claws popped out of his fins, and his teeth shimered in the moonlight.

"Are those your last words? I thought that maybe they'd be a little bit more manly than something like that! Kagome!" Inuyasha turned to see Kagome with an arrow.

"Ready!"

"In that case..." The demon was now about five meters away from him. "WIND SCAR!"

"The same move again? You need a little more variety, half-demon!" The shark blocked the Wind Scar easily.

"Sorry, but this isn't the same plan as before!" He snickered and jumped out of the shark's way. The demon saw Kagome with her bow and arrow ready.

"What?" The demon exclaimed.

"This was for trying to make me be a part of a fish!" She shot her arrow strait at him. The demon's jaw was still open from all the surprise, and the arrow shot through his mouth. The shark grew still for a moment, until it completly disintegrated. A little blue orb rose from the ashes and flew off. Inuyasha and Kagome stared at all the process.

"Well, I guess that's it then." Inuyasha said after the orb disappeared from their sight. "The leader of the water demons is down. Now, we'll just have to take down the rest of the four." He suddenly cried out in pain and fell to his knees.

Kagome ran to his side, "Careful! That injury of yours is bad. We're going to have to return to the village and treat it. But don't try to move too much."

Inuyasha snorted, "Fine. I just hope we won't run into some other demon before that. So let's not go too slow."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"But don't worry, you'll be able to see him in the other world when you join him!"

Kirara couldn't hold herself back from fighting the demon anymore so she charged at the coy fish. The fish dodged the attack swiftly and managed to claw Kirara's ear. Sango looked around desperatly for a weapon she could use to help Kirara fight. _"Hikari said we need to slice the demon's head off if I want to kill it. So I need something sharp and big... Oh, if only I had Hiraikotsu with me!" _She looked over at her demon cat and knew that Kirara could hold the demon for a while. When Sango saw something sparkle from the corner of her eye, she walked to the light, but tripped over her kimono. _"Damn stupid kimono! I'd better take this off before I get into any other trouble. Like my death."_

She took off her kimono, and found herself in her demon slayer clothes. _"Ah, that feels a lot better." _When that was done, she continued walking to the shining object and found out that it was a small mountain of small daggers. _"What? I need something big, not tiny like this!" _Suddenly she heard a loud roar of pain behind her.

She turned around to the battle and saw a huge gash by Kirara's neck_. "Oh no, already_?" Kirara was panting heavily, and she had plenty of wounds by her sides. Sango knew that she won't be able to keep up for long. She looked back at the pile of daggers and got an idea. _"But I'd better do this quick. Otherise, Kirara will be the one to become the prey." _

She placed the knives in a straight line. _"Now that that's done... Let's see..." _She looked around. _"Something I could use to tie all of this together..." _The only thing she could see was her torn kimono. _"Yes! That's it!" _She crawled to the kimono and stretched it out a bit.

_"Solid enough, I guess. Now let's see if this works." _She ran back to the daggers and started tearing the kimono to lines of clothing. _"Haru might be mad at me for doing this, but I've got my life at risk here! I just hope she can deal with this." _She continued shreading it, but just when she was about to finish, another roar of pain came from Kirara. Kirara was on the ground, trying to get up. Sango's eyes widened and she hurried up her plan.

_"Come on, come on... Kirara's hurt and she won't go any further!" _When she finished, she whipped around and saw the demon above Kirara, holding its claws and getting ready to strike.

"You've been a great opponent, feline. But this time, the fish wins. In my game, the fish is the predator..." It lifted its fin, "And the cat is the prey!"

_"No!" _Sango ran to them and attacked. She only sliced a part of the fishes neck, and this caused the demon to back away in pain. Sango bent down to Kirara, and stroke her fur. It was full of blood.

"Kirara, it's going to be okay, you've done enough. You let me take care of this now." Kirara nodded slowly, and closed her eyes. Sango placed two of her fingers on Kirara's neck, and felt pulsation. She sighed. _"Good, she's going to be fine. She just needs a lot of rest." _

Behind her, the demon was back up, and it snarled, "You little wench. How dare you try to ruin my kill."

Sango slowly turned around and felt her blood getting hotter. Fury was in her eyes, and she growled, "I'll make you pay for what you did to Kirara."

"Hah! Is that so? That cat was able to hold me for a long time, but you? A mortal? Don't make me laugh."

Sango yelled, "I'll never let myself get killed by a demon like you!" And she charged at the demon. She moved her 'weapon' from side to side, but the demon kept on evading her attacks.

"Apparently, you can't even touch me! tell you what, I'll let you attack for a while and then, it's my turn!"

"Too bad you won't get it!" Sango yelled. She really wanted to get this over with. If Kirara was about to lose her life because she made her to, Sango would never forgive herself. The least she could do was be by her friend's side when she breathes her last breath.

_"No. Not when. **IF**." _Sango thought as she looked at Kirara behind her. When she looked at the feline's paws, she slowly found another plan. She kept the demon busy a little, until she jumped back to her unconsious friend.

"Running away, are you?" The demon slowly walked up to her.

Sango smiled, "I don't think so." She placed her weapon close to Kirara's paws. And the next thing you know, the clothing of the shreaded kimono caught fire. Now, it looked like a giant fire blade. The demon's eyes were surprised and it started backing away. "Now are _you_ the one backing away?"

"Not a chance!" The demon snarled. It sprang st Sango. The demon slayer quickly reacted, and threw her blade at the demon. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact. It never came.

When she opened her eyes, she found the demon cliging to its neck, where the blade was. It fell to its knees, and evaporated into thin air. A blue orb lifted away from where the body was. Sango sighed, _"I guess Kirara won't be having any coy fish any time soon." _She turned to her sleeping friend, who turned back into her kitten form. Sango smiled and took her cat in her arms, _"You've one a great job, girl. Now you'll need to rest. Let's get back to the village and see those scars of yours."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Well, you'd better deal with it! Will my scent kill you first... or will it be my lighting!"

"Neither, thank you very much!" Hikari riped off her clothes. She had her armour on and her twin blades with her. She launched her water blade like a boomerang at the demon, who dodged it with ease.

"You're going to have to aim better if you're gonna kill me!" It said in its metallic voice.

"Wasn't aiming for you!" Hikari said with a smile on her face. The demon was confused.

"What?"

"Never mind that, just focus on me!" She yelled as she ran to the eel and started to attack him. No matter how many times she would slash at the right area, the demon would 'foresee' her attack and slither its way out of the way.

"Ha ha! Can't touch me!" The demon teased. Hikari tried to slash him again. "Alright, now it's my turn!" It started charging a large amount of electricity, and Hikari had to cover her eyes because of all the brightness. The demon let out a war cry and shot his lighting at Hikari. She opened one eye.

_"Alright then... NOW!" _She placed her hand to the earth and focused her power on it. Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and a giant wall of earth rose from below to protect Hikari. It blocked the attack. _"Perfect." _She grinned. _"But... Whoa. How did this electricity become so powerful? The last time I blocked an attack like this, I never felt this much power."_

When all the light had disappeared, she lifted her hand from the dirt and the wall of earth fell back to its normal state. The demon couldn't believe what happened. "What was that? Are you even human?" It yelled.

Hikari rolled her eyes, "Yes, I am. In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm a L. Healer**, **and I can do things like that. No big deal, really... Now then, why don't we continue our little battle, shall we?" She charged at the demon again, and this time, the demon was the one who had to be careful. This continued for a long while, until the demon had enough. He had to tease his way out of this.

"Hey! Where did you get that sword from? Huge and ugly land?" It yelled when Hikari was away from it. Hikari growled and the eel continued, "Gee, I wonder, how long will you keep up? Considering you being a mortal, problably for like, what? Two minutes?" It laughed out loud, which only made Hikari get even more annoyed.

"Dammit, enough already!" Out of nowhere, Hikari's water blade bursted out of the trees and went for the eel. The demon was shocked, but it only got a little cut since it dodged the blade.

_"That was close." _The demon panted. _"Any later and I would have been made to sushi." _It looked at Hikari, who caught the water blade in one hand. The demon got seriously pissed off. "Hey! That's not fair!"

Hikari frowned, "When healers fight demons, there's no such thing as fair." She lifted her water blade to the sky and a mysterious energy started forming around it. The clouds were starting to swirl around.

_"W-what... is this?" _The slimy eel could do nothing but stare.

Hikari grinned, "I'm done with you!" She gave a final push to her blade, and yelled. **"DRAGON WAVE!" **

Water was erupting from the clouds and started forming a huge flood below. It was heading straight for the demon. The eel didn't seem worried. "Hah! Do you really think water can beat me? I _live_ in water!"

"I know that. But apparently, you've under-estimated me." Hikari said, without losing the grin on her face.

The demon's eyes went wide. "W-what? NO!"

The water crashed down on him like a huge wave. The demon was cut to bits as it cried out in pain, and when all the water disappeared, a blue orb soared from the remains of the demon.

_"I hate using that attack." _She frowned. _"It reminds me too much of **them**." _Her eyes grew dark and sad. But was there fury in them too...? She sighed. _"I guess I should check on the others." _She spread her aura to a few kilometers and saw her friends heading back to the village safe and sound. She smiled, _"Good. They're all safe. I guess I should help Miroku, Inuyasha and Kagome to find their way out of this mess." _

She walked towards the aura of the villagers, until she decided she went far enough. She took out her fire blade and planted it in the earth. She wispered, **"Dragon Flame."**

A small fire was forming, and along with it, smoke. _"It's up to you guys now." _She sat down next to a tree close by and waited for her friends_. "They sure are taking a while... I think I'm gonna grab a few winks of sleep..." _

**~Dream~**

_"Wha-?" _Hikari woke up to find a giant pack of villagers outside her hut. "What's going on?" She asked when she got dressed up.

"It's the shrine of the Band Of Seven!" One of the villagers said, "The tomb was split into two!"

"What?" Hikari's eyes went wide. "Show me!"

The villager who spoke before, probably the first one who saw the shrine, was leading the way. "We're almost there, hurry!"

"I'll go on ahead, you men can catch up later!" Hikari said as she ran past the villagers. She ran as fast as she could. _"The villagers said that they didn't see any lighting, so what does that mean? Wait... Naraku's aura! What the hell was he doing here?" _

When she arrived at the shrine, she saw that the tomb was split into two. _"Just as that villager said, it is split in two. And Naraku was here, alright. Last night. But... what are these other souls who were here? Their souls aren't alive... Nor dead... So... Wait, don't tell me that...!" _Her eyes shot open. "_Did Naraku resurrect the Band of Seven?" _

Just then, the villagers all arrived. "Well, how is it?"

Hikari turned to them with serious eyes. "Not good. Listen to me, everyone!" She raised her voice. "The seven souls of the Band Of Seven have escaped! I want everyone to stay in their houses. And when you go out, make sure you keep a weapon with you." Several of the villagers gasped.

"That's fine, but what will you do, Lady Hikari?"

She frowned, "I'm going to go hunt them down. I won't come back in a long time, but when I do, the souls will all be back in their graves." She started walking away. She turned to them one last time, "If there is a traveler passing by, never mention me. They'll only start panicking. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. We shall wait for your next visit." The villagers bowed. Hikari smiled and ran off.

_"Alright, I know I won't be able to hunt them all down, but one thing I might know is that Naraku resurrected these guys to kill Inuyasha. So I'll let Inuyasha take care of these stuff. But just for a little help... I think I'll take down one of them. I'll take the closest one." _She ran to the closest evil aura she could sense.

She stopped when she knew that one of the specters was right in front of her. She crouched down and saw the mercenary she was looking for. _"Ah, found you. Hey, hold on... Aw, crap!" _

She saw the mercenary, but he was... injured. _"Dammit! Why, oh why did I have to go get the one who was hurt? Why couldn't I sense that he was hurt? Why?" _She looked at the injured man and saw that he had two holes in left arm. He was leaning against a boulder, and he kept on wincing from the pain.

_"Attacked by a snake demon, huh? Well, I ain't helping. I'll just sneak away while I have the chance and find some other guy to kill." _Just as she started creeping away, she steped on a stick.

From behind her, she heard the man cry, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Hikari started cursing, **"STUPID, DAMN, FUCKING, RANDOM STICKS WHO APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE TO RUIN A GIRL'S DAY! I SWEAR, IF SOMETHING ELSE LIKE THIS HAPPENS, I'LL BEAT THE FUCKING LIFE OUT OF WHOEVER LEAVES THESE GOD DAMN BRANCHES JUST SO PEOPLE CAN-"**

She blushed when she realised she was cursing out loud. _"Shit. Now I **have** to show myself." _She could tell the man was trying not to laugh, because his aura was full of amusement, and she heard him stiffling his laughter. She sighed as she stepped out of the bushes. The only thing she could actually describe best was his face since most of his clothes were torn. He had long, black hair which was tied to a braid, and he had a star-shapped mark on his forehead. She saw his blue eyes widening a slight bit at her appearance.

_"Great. Just another man who thinks I'm beautiful." _She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "So, now that you know who was there, what are you going to do now?" And suddenly, she felt his aura and she finally understood why she couldn't sense his injury. _"No wonder I couldn't sense it... He has a piece of the sacred jewel in his neck! So that's how Naraku resurrected the rest of the Band of Seven..." _

"What have you got to say to me then?" Hikari asked. The boy's mouth was still a little open from how she looked, but as soon as she spoke, he closed his mouth shut. He still wasn't able to say anything though. Hikari rolled her eyes again, and no matter how much she didn't want to, she walked to the injured man. He was surprised and he tried to move away, but no thanks to his wounds, he wasn't able to move. He growled at Hikari, and she inwardly grinned. _"At least he's got some pride in him."_

She bent down next to him. "Look, do you want that thing cured, or not?" She pointed to his wounded arm.

He simply snorted. "Maybe I do, maybe I'm fine without having to treat it. Who are you anyways?"

"Ah, so the tiger finally speaks! I thought you were dumb for a moment there!" She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. Since she didn't want a fight, she just answered his question. "I'm a L. Healer. My name's Hikari."

She waited for him to answer by saying his name, but he didn't answer, of course. She already knew his name just by looking into his memories, but she just wanted to start a little conversation. Too bad the guy was too proud to even talk to her.

When she saw that he didn't answer, she sighed, and decided to get to work. She took his arm and gently started examinating the wound. The boy would flinch every once in a while, but he didn't complain. He seemed more relaxed than before.

"Why are you helping me, girl?" His voice didn't have much hostility in it, but Hikari knew he was suspicious.

"Alright, first, don't call me girl, got it? You're like the same age as me, so suck it up!" The man raised a brow, and when Hikari realised what she just said, she litteraly slapped herself.

_"The hell? He IS older than you, Hikari! He lived fifteen years before you!" _

She let out a long sigh, "Forget what I just said, I'll just answer your question. I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't do this if I had to. Hell, I'd probably give anything to get out of this mess! But no- I have to because I'm a healer, and I'm not supposed to leave an injured human by himself. Stupid rules." The man chuckled at her complaining, but it didn't last for long. "I can't even leave a specter like you alone."

The man's eyes widened and he jumped up, "How the hell did you know that-" He winced at the pain and fell back down.

"Careful, there. You don't want that poison spreading through your body, now do you? I'll just explain you what I know some other time." She took out a few herbs and started getting to work.

The man growled, "If you're only going to try to kill me with those stuff-"

"Don't worry about that, geez. You really think I'd take advantage of a wounded man?" After doing a final examination of the scar, she stood up. "Well, I'm outta here. Make sure you don't move around too much. You should be fine by tonight."

She turned to walk away, when she heard his voice call to her. "Wait." She turned around.

"I don't why the hell I'm saying this, but you wanted to know my name, right?" He said.

Hikari was confused, _"Umm... okay... He's hostile, then relaxed, and then he wants to know if I want to know his name. Talk about mood swings. And he's not even a woman." _She nodded, unsure. "Sure, I guess... So what _is_ your name?"

Hikari saw him grin for the first time. His voice sounded proud now, "I am Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven."

**_~End of Dream~_**

"Hikari, Hikari, HEY!" She woke up to find Inuyasha and her three friends above her.

"Hey, you're awake!" Kagome smiled.

"Have a nice sleep?" Miroku asked. "Your face looked pretty happy."

"Uhh... yeah, I guess..."

"Alright, now why did you make the fire?" Hikari heard Inuyasha's impatient voice and slowly came to reality.

"Oh, that's right!" She bolted up. "You guys were fighting the demons and you needed to know how to find the village. So, I decided to help you guys a little. Now then, I guess I might as well lead the way. How long was I asleep?"

"We were here for fifteen minutes, waiting for you to wake up!" Inuyasha growled lightly.

Hikari smiled innocently, "Well, oops. Let's just get going." She walked to her fire blade and placed it in its sheath. "So what were you three doing while I was asleep?" Kagome suddenly bursted out laughing and Miroku chuckled. Inuyasha's ears were flat on his head. Hikari tilted her head. "Was it something I said?"

When Miroku calmed down, he explained, "You see, Inuyasha tried to pull out your sword from the ground because he thought that that would stop the fire. It was fine just the way it was, but he insisted. He tried to pull it out-" He chuckled a little and continued, "He tried to pull it out, but wasn't able to."

Kagome giggled, "You should have seen him, he looked like a tomato! He was panting so hard he looked like he was running away from a gay man!"

"Hey! Enough with the details, and let's just get to the village already!" Inuyasha snarled as he took the lead.

Hikari couldn't help but giggle, "I don't blame you Inuyasha. No one, and I mean no one can lift my blades other than me."

"Huh? What do you mean by that? You got superpowers or something?"

"No, it's just that my blades were sent from genenration to generation. And only people of my blood can actually hold them. They're as light as feather to me." Inuyasha's jaw dropped open.

They continued their walk, but the only thing Hikari was concerned about was her dream. _"Another one, huh?"_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Aw, man I feel like shit." Inuyasha groaned the next morning. Once Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Hikari arrived in the village, they were greated by the rest of the Inutachi. It wasn't long before people started asking them where they were, and they had no choice but to respond honestly. They explained all their adventures, and assured all the villagers that the demons were gone. When the elder heard this, he cheered and proposed another celebration. No matter how much the Inutachi insisted that it wasn't necessary, the village organised it anyway. They weren't at the party, though. They were in their house taking care of their wounds and resting.

They rested for a long while, but with all the noises outside that night, they couldn't really sleep. "I know, right?" Hikari yawned, "I feel like as if I've died and come back to life a thousand times and over."

"Hey, at least we made them happy, right?" Kagome asked in a drowsy voice. Everyone just groaned. They don't even know if making these villagers happy was the right choice. After all, the village's hapiness meant the Inutachi's suffering.

"Well, we won't be here for long, right? I mean, now that our work is done, we can leave soon." Kohaku said in a little hopeful voice. Kirara, who was beside him, just mewled tiredly.

"Let's just hope that-" Sango was cut off by a panicked woman barging into their hut.

"Lady Hikari! Come quickly!"

"I spoke too soon." Sango groaned.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Hikari said as she stretched her arms. She had her blue and white kimono on. "What's going on out there?"

"Something bad." The woman trembling voice caught the Inutachi's attention. "Please, just please, hurry."

"I'm ready, lead the way ma'am." Hikari followed the villager outside.

"Why is she always the one to be called out?" Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Hikari's special, remember? They want to spend time with someone they might not ever meet in their life. It's like meeting a superstar, you know?"

"Ummm... sooperstar? What's that?"

"Nevermind."

After a few minutes, Hikari ran into the room, panting heavily.

"Hikari?"

"The villager was right. There is something wrong. Something _really_ bad. We have to go. Now." And before anyone could object, she ran back out.

Shippou jumped on Miroku's shoulder, "What's gotten into her?"

"If Hikari looked really _that_ worried, then that must mean something is very wrong." Miroku frowned, "Inuyasha, we should get ready and bring our weapons. If there is a battle coming up, we have to be armed." Inuyasha nodded.

By the time they were out, the whole village was out to see the commotion. The Inutachi hurried up to the entrance of the village, and saw Hikari and the elder talking to each other. Hikari's eyes were serious and thoughtful, and the elder's face was worried and frightened.

Inuyasha walked up to Hikari. "So? Are you going to tell us what's going on here?"

"Can't you smell it, Inuyasha? There's fire somewhere, and not just in one area. Look," She pointed to the sky. Well, what remained of the sky. It was covered with smoke coming from the north. Hikari continued, "There's no way a plain little forest fire would have done this. There must have been a battle early this morning, before anyone was awake." She turned to her friends and talked low enough for no one else to hear, "And the areas where the smoke is coming from, they're covered with the dead souls of humans."

Kagome gasped, "The people didn't have any time to attack because it was early in the morning, and they were all still asleep."

Hikari nodded, "Yeah, so we'd better take a closer look at this. After all... We might be next." She spoke to the elder, "My friends and I will see what caused this. In the meantime, you'd best stay in your huts and not come out. We'll tell you what happened when we come back." She nodded to her friends and ran off with them at her heels.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"How horrible..." Kagome wispered as she saw the damage in the village. The Inutachi went after the closest village and discovered... _this_. A wasteland of dead bodies, fire, and ash.

"There's no time to talk about that. We need to know who did this." Miroku said as he walked to a the body of a dead man. "Hikari, can you sense someone alive?"

Hikari closed her eyes and spoke, "So far, nothing... No, wait. There is someone alive." She opened her eyes. "It's a little more to the west from here, by a small temple. Well, the remains of a temple, really. Oh yeah, and it's a woman and a child."

"Alright, Hikari and Shippou, you two stay here." Inuyasha ordered, "The rest of us will go search for them."

"Alright, then, that's fine with me! Hikari can try to see who did this, and we'll try to put out some of the fire." Shippou exclaimed with a smile.

"We're off then." Everyone left the healer and the kitsune alone.

"You know, I would have expected Shippou to complain and try to convince us to bring him along." Kohaku said as they started running. Everyone else nodded.

"Well, Shippou it's just you and me now." Hikari said as she kneeled down and placed her hand to te earth. She closed her eyes and focused on going to before the battle happened. She saw the kids asleep, and a few people coming out to work on the fields. The one thing that surprised Hikari was the loud yell of a woman. She seemed to be yelling at a man_. "Probably caught the guy cheating on her. Two-timers these days... Well, other than that, everything seems fine." _

And suddenly, she heard the fire of a canon, and a few seconds later, she saw the canon land on a hut and explode. The villagers started coming out all panicked, and she heard the children crying. By then, most of the village was on fire, and a few men were barging in some of the houses to save their family. Just when people gathered water to turn off the fire, blades shot out of nowhere and took a man down. The rest of the villagers turned around, only to be killed by the same blade. For the next minutes, it was a complete massacre. Fire was everywhere, men and women were cut to pieces, children's throats were slashes out, and cires of agony was mixed with yells of pain.

For the very first time, Hikari felt as if she was **in** the battle. She felt the fire and the pain everyone was going through. She wanted to save the people, and tell them that it was going to be okay, but she knew it would be no use. After all, she was looking into the past. She then focused hard on the weapons killing the people, and tried to follow them, but couldn't. The fire was strong enough to blur the sight. By the time the fire had calmed down, almost everyone was dead. Finally, she was able to spot the silhouette of the killers. She spotted... Seven men.

Hikari froze. Her breath was caught in her throat as she took a closer look at them.

"So? Did you find anything?" Sango's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. All of Hikari's friends were around her now. Kagome was holding a kid in her arms, and Kirara had the woman on her back. Both were unconsious.

Hikari was shocked by what she had seen. And more specifically, _who_ she had seen. She still couldn't speak to her friends. _"Oh, no."_

* * *

**FoxRain7: Yeah, about what I said earlier... The Band Of Seven are going to show up later... Ahahaha... Sorry...^^'**

***Readers start throwing tomatoes at Fox***

**FoxRain7: ****Well at least you've seen a little preview of them! **

***Get's thrown more tomatoes.***

**FoxRain: Like I said, I'm really sorry if you wanted to see them, but I guess I decided that 8000 words in a chapter was enough for now... And don't worry! I'll try to upload ASAP. *****mumbles*:Yeah, with school on the way, that's for sure.**

***Get's thrown potatoes.***

**FoxRain: Alright, alright! I'll try to work faster! BTW did you figure out who Hikari reminds Inuyasha of yet? No? Then wait about ten chapters. You know, _reviews_ are always accepted :)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	5. Enter the Shichinintai

**Chapter 4 finally!**

**Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Inuyasha, only the OC's and the plot.**

* * *

**~Stars of The Moon~**

**Chapter 4**

_"Oh, no." _

"Hikari? Are you okay?" Hikari heard Kagome's voice say.

She couldn't get the massacre out of her head. All the people who died, those who were burned with their family... and the men who did it. She shook her head to get some of the pictures out of her mind. She looked up at her friends with serious eyes.

"We have to get moving."

Shippou jumped onto her shoulder. "Huh? Why? Don't you know who did this?"

She turned to him, "That's not important right now. What's more important is to get these villagers to safety." She stood up, "If we've got time, we'll check the other damaged areas."

"Alright then, let's go," said Inuyasha. Sango took the child from Kagome and placed him on Kirara. Kagome got on Inuyasha's back, and Hikari, Miroku, and Kohaku got ready to run. They ran out of the village, and started heading for the party-crazed town.

As they ran, Hikari had a worried look on her face. Everyone was getting worried. Kagome wispered to Inuyasha, "Say, Inuyasha, why didn't you ask her what was wrong back there? I mean, knowing you, you probably would have forced her to say who did the killing."

"Yeah, I guess I should have, but... There was just something in her voice that made her sound like there was no time for that. Hikari just looked pretty worrired, and I won't force her when she looks like that."

"Everyone, stop!"

Everyone turned around at Hikari's voice. She had stopped running.

"What's wrong, Hikari?" Miroku asked when everyone had stopped running as well.

She frowned, "I'm sensing the other damaged villages, and I think I need to take a closer look at them. Inuysha, follow me." By using her demonic features from her blades, she jumped up a tree branch, with Inuyasha right behind her. They continued jumping until they got to tip of the tree. Once Hikari got there, she closed her eyes and sent her aura going wide.

Inuyasha waited for her to say something. He jumped when he saw her eyes shoot open. She looked at him with her shocked eyes, "You have to get to the village as soon as you can. NOW."

"What? Why?"

She tried to explain as fast as she can, "There's a damaged village north from here. It's dead aura is old from early this morning. Let's say about an hour before dawn. Then there's another village, a little bit more to the south from there, and it was attacked at at dawn. And the last village, the one we just came across, was attacked an hour _after _dawn. It was a little bit more to the south than the village from before, do you understand?"

"Uhhh... Let's say I do..."

She slapped her forehead. "Don't you get it, you stupid dog? It's forming a trail! The assassins were going from north to south! Which means that the next victims are the villagers we just saved!"

Inuyasha looked confused for a moment, when he understood. Now his eyes went wide, "WHAT? Then we have to get moving!"

Hikari sighed, "Finally. Inuyasha, you go with the others and reach the village as fast as you can. The murderers are already on their way there, so you have to hurry. They're going to get there in about 30 minutes. Get all the villagers to safety. I'm going to stay here with Shippou to look at see if there are any survivors in the villages, and if I have time, I'll come over to the village and help you guys out. Can you do that?"

"Errr..."

"Oh, nevermind! I'm sure Kagome's going to do the right things anyway. Now hurry up! Go!" She jumped off the tree, did a little flip in the air, and landed. When Inuyasha was down, Hikari was already running off towards the north with Shippou on her shoulder.

The others were just staring at her, "What was that all about?" Kohaku asked.

"I'm not too sure either, but we have to get going. I'll explain everthing on the way to the village."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Hikari, where are we going? I thought you said we're going to the other villages?" Shippou asked a few minuted after leaving the others. As soon as their friends were out of sight, and that they were far enough, Hikari made a U-turn and went south, to where Inuyasha was heading. Shippou wondered what was going on.

"I told Inuyasha I'd go and search for survivors from the massacres."

"Yeah, but aren't they north of here? We're going the wrong way."

"I know that. But honestly, Shippou, if there were survivors, and that I sensed them, I'd go get them, right?" Her expression fell a little, and she sighed, "Well, apparently, I can't sense any living soul in any of the villages."

"Oh." The little fox demon paused, "So what _are_ we going to do?"

Hikari didn't answer immediatly. "... I figured we'd go after the killers and take a closer look at them. They're not far ahead."

Shippou's eyes went wide and he cried, "WHAT? But-but, I'm too young for this sort of stuff! And-and... What if we get caught?"

Hikari had to clamp his mouth with her hand to shut him up, "I said 'take a closer look at them'. I never said we're going to show ourselves and yell out, 'Hey, you! Stop right there, or you'll feel our wrath!'. We're just going to hide somewhere and listen to what their next plans are."

Shippou clamed down, "Oh... I see... But since we already know their plan, why bother going after them?"

"I... I wasn't sure if the aura I sensed back there was right. Before I could see them, Sango startled me, and I couldn't see them properly. So I need to make sure if it's really them."

"Okay, but why bother bringing _me _along?"

Hikari smiled and winked at him, "I know that if they ever attack us, you can fly away and tell Inuyasha everything. Let's just say you're my secret messager."

Shippou blinked, "Well, that makes sense. If you chose Kirara, they already know that there's something wrong because she's big and noticable. But I'm small so they won't notice me."

Hikari wispered, "All right, they're a few meters ahead, so no talking from now on. Oh, and Shippou..." She stopped running, "You know that your old enemies are coming back. So don't be surprised if it's one of them."

"But you already know everyone we ever met. You searched in Kagome's memories one time, and you should know if it's someone we know. So who is it?"

Hikari didn't answer him. She hopped into a tree and she made sure she was completly camouflaged in the leaves before she stood still. Hikari and Shippou heard voices and footsteps coming their way.

Shippou wispered one last thing to Hikari's ear, "If we ever get killed, I blaming you for our deaths."

She wispered back with a smile, "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I can take'em all down." After that, they remained completly immoblised. The footsteps were getting louder and louder, and the voices, clearer and clearer. When she saw the forms of the murderers, Hikari's eyes widened and she immediatly clamped her hand on Shippou's mouth without warning. She made sure he was looking the other way. But she also made sure that his ears were alert.

"Say, Big Brother, what are we gonna do now?" An all too familiar voice said. Shippou eyes widened in surprise and fear and he started to shake his body violently under Hikari's grasp. She did her best to hold him down and to stop him from screaming for his life. She listened carefuly to the conversation down there.

Another voice ruff spoke, "Yeah, I mean, other than killing everything we come across - not that I'm complaining though. But what _do_ we do other than that?"

Some other man, who had voice a slight bit softer than the other, spoke in his turn, "Suikotsu's right. The Lords these days don't hire mercenaries, let alone the Band of Seven. If they hear that we've been resurrected again, they'll just try to hunt us down and kill us like they did before."

"Relax, Renkotsu. I know that as well as you do," said a carefree voice. Like the other voices, this one was familiar to Shippou and Hikari. Far too familiar for their liking.

"So then, what are we going to do?" Hikari and Shippou jumped when they heard the loudest roar of all the other men.

There was a pause, until the first voice Hikari heard spoke again, in a hopeful tone. "Are we going to get Inuyasha?"

Most of the men flinched at that name. Inuyasha was the one they were sent to kill the last time they were 'alive'. Renkotsu growled at his friend, "If you want to get yourself killed, Jakotsu, then you can go. I value my life more than ever now, and I don't count on getting killed again."

Jakotsu gave him a dirty glare, and almost growled at the trusty brother he once thought he was. Hikari could now see all of their forms, and her breath caught in her throat. _"It's just as I thought... They're alive, and without the jewel shards this time!" _

The carefree voice spoke again, this time, a little more serious, "Enough! To answer your question, we are not going after Inuyasha."

Jakotsu wined, "What? But Bankotsu, you know how much I-"

"'Want those little ears of his!' We know already!" Suikotsu groaned and Bankotsu chuckled.

"I never said that we're not going to kill him. I'm just saying that we're not going after him. Let's just relax for the time being." Bankotsu said as he stretched his arms.

Everyon stayed silent, until an old voice spoke, "Ah, so you want Inuyasha to come to us, instead of us coming to him."

Bankotsu smiled, "Yeah, I just thought that'd make things... better. I'm not counting on getting revenge so soon. I'm going to enjoy this time of life we have."

"Still, we might never find Inuyasha because of that."

Bankotsu turned to his second-in-command, "What do you mean?"

"Before, Naraku was the one to guide us to him," Renkotsu stated, "But now, we don't even know who resurrected us or why. And Inuyasha can't smell us, since we don't smell like graveyard dirt anymore. He won't reconise our scents."

Hikari gasped, _"That's right! They don't have any sacred jewel shards in them anymore so Kagome won't be able to sense them either!" _

"What was that?" Suikotsu's voice alerted his brothers.

Realising what she just did, Hikari had to clamp her own mouth now, _"Oh shit! Hikari, you idiot, you just blew your cover!"_

"Something's up there!"

Jakotsu swiped his sword at the tree Hikari was sitting on, but it was already too late. Hikari immediatly started running away from the Band of Seven by jumping from branch to branch.

The Band of Seven narrowed their eyes at the now sabotaged tree. "There was something there, alright. It must have escaped somehow." Jakotsu mumbled.

"Probably. Let's just hope that it isn't any harm." Renkotsu turned to Bankotsu, "Should we get moving?"

Bankotsu just stared at the tree and didn't say anything.

"Big Brother?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, "Oh, right. Well, next stop, the closest village we could find." Everyone smirked.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"That was close," Shippou said when Hikari stopped running away. Hikari did a flip in the air as she landed on the ground. She was panting heavily and her eyes were wide. During the whole conversation, Shippou couldn't see anything, but he heard every word. "Now what do we do? We know that the Band of Seven did the killing."

Hikari took a few deep breaths, "Now, Shippou, I want you to fly to Inuyasha, and tell him that they're coming to the village. I've got a plan, so listen carefuly. I want you to protect the villagers - put them anywhere you want, rope them up if you have to - but don't let the Band of Seven get to them.

"Then, when the village is deserted, tell Inuyasha and the others to hide in some of the closest houses from the village's entrance. We're going to do a surprise attack. The Band of Seven's aura has become much stronger than before, like the other enemies you've already encountered. So you can't attack them from head-on, or you're dead, got it?" Shippou nodded.

"You're going to be seven against six. I won't be there, and someone's gotta make sure the villagers won't get hurt. They've got the advantage. So be careful. I don't want to see anyone dead, got that?" Hikari paused, _"God, I sound like some over-protective mother!"_

"Alright, but what will you do? Are you going to distract them or something?" Shippou hopped off her shoulder.

"Something like that. I'm just going to see if they're going to change course. If they do, then, I'll run to you guys and tell where they're heading next."

"Wow, you're really organised, aren't you?"

Hikari winked at him, "You know it. Now, hurry! We don't have much time left!"

Shippou hopped into the air, "See ya later, Hikari! Transform!" And he went flying in his little pink ballon form.

Hikari turned around to run, but she suddenly stopped and turned to flying Shippou, "Oh yeah! Shippou! One last thing!"

He turned around, "What? Anything else?"

"Yeah! Don't tell Inuyasha that it's the Band of Seven immediatly! If you do that, you're only going to make him panic! Just say that a pack of... somethings are heading your way!"

"Oh! Umm... Okay!"

Hikari watched Shippou fly away, _"Alright, let's get down to buisness." _She concentrated her aura to where the Band of Seven was, and tracked them down. _"Time to see what's really happening." _She ran to their direction.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" Shippou arrived at the village and was searchng for his friends. There weren't any villagers anywhere, so Inuyasha must have already hidden them somewhere. Shippou was looking for his friends everywhere. "Inuyasha, where are you...? Ah! There you are!"

Inuyasha and Kagome looked up to see Shippou flying towards them. "Shippou! You're here!" Kagome caught him as he jumped into her hands. "So, did you find anyone alive?" Kagome said in a sad tone.

Shippou shook his head, "No... But we did find who killed everyone. It's-" He stopped when he remembered what Hikari had said before.

"It's..." Inuyasha urged him to continued.

"Ummm... Well, all I know is that..." He stopped again, and thought of his words carefuly, "They're pretty strong, even though they're not much, and... They all have really great weapons, and..."

Inuyasha was getting annoyed, and couldn't stand having to guess, "Listen, Shippou, this isn't a game of charades, this is serious! You seem to know a lot about them, so spill it out already!"

"I-I ummm..."

"Stop forcing him so much!" Kagome sighed, "If he can't remember what Hikari said to him, it's not his fault!"

"Y-Yeah! That's right! I'm just a kid, remember?"

Inuyasha grunted, "Whatever. Did Hikari tell you anything else?"

"Yeah, umm... Oh right! She said that we should do a surprise attack at the enemy. We should all hide in some of the closest huts to the entrance, and when they show up, we attack!" Shippou said with a satisfied look on his face.

"If you remembered that, then why couldn't you remember what she said about the enemies?" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath.

Shippou looked around him, "By the way... Where's everyone else? I mean, Sango, Miroku and the others?"

"They're all gone getting the villagers to safety. As soon as they're done, they're coming back. Ah, here they are now!" Kagome said as she saw her friends coming towards her. She waved to them, when she noticed that Kohaku was missing. "Hey! Sango, where's Kohaku?"

Sango replied, "He's with the villagers to protect them. He's trying to calm them down too."

Shippou flinched, "I'll go and take his place! I'm no use here against the enemies, but Kohaku can take better care of them instead of me. So I'll be right back!" And with that, he bolted off.

Everyone stared at him. Miroku asked Inuyasha and Kagome, "What happened to him? Usually he'd always try to stay and fight."

Inuyasha shook his head, "I don't know... But if he reacted that way when he heard that Kohaku wasn't here, then that must mean that the killers are stronger than we think." He turned to look at everyone. "We're going to stick with Hikari's plan. We'll stay hidden in some of the huts, and when the murderes show up, we'll pounce on'em. That okay?" The rest of them nodded.

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"Dammit, now what?"_ Hikari was following the Band of Seven for a while now, and so far, she couldn't do anything but watch them walk and talk about their kills. She shivered every time they would say somethings like that. She knew that she had to stop them from getting to the village, but what could she do?

_"I can try knocking down a tree on someone... Naw, Kyoukotsu's only going to lift it up. But then, they'll have to wait and look at his injuried to make sure he's not going to die again... Then again, they might decide to leave him behind, being the heartless mercenaries they are... **ARRGGGGHHHH** This is like having to make Miroku confess that he isn't a pervert! What can I do?"_

"Look, there's the village."

Hikari did her best not to gasp this time. _"I was so stuck in my thoughts, I didn't sense the village's aura nearby! Well, the least I can do is see if the others are in for the surprise attack." _She closed her eyes and saw her friends in their own huts, waiting for the enemy's arrival. She inwardly smiled, _"Perfect."_

"Alright, men, are you ready?" Bankotsu turned to his brothers. They all smirked and Bankotsu smiled, "Let's go have some fun."

Hikari looked at Bankotsu and remembered her dream. _"That wasn't a dream I had there, that was a memory." _She smiled and bounded off to the aura of where the villagers were left. She was going to have to check if they were okay. And for a moment - just a moment - she thought that Bankotsu saw her right before she left.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu smiled, "Let's go have some fun."

He spotted something - or somone - from the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to see who it was. For a moment, he could have sworn it was a woman, but there was only a little gust of wind. He felt like as if he was being watched ever since the last battle he and his brothers had. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, though - he felt a little... happy. But just a little.

There was that one time when he and his brothers heard a gasp coming from the top of the trees. _"But Jakotsu just had to destroy the tree, didn't he?" _That gasp was familiar to him. And he might have known who was there, if only if that person didn't run away so quickly.

While his brothers got their weapons ready, he took off the cloth which was covering Banryuu. Ever since he's been resurrected, he was wondering how it was full again. The last time he saw Banryuu, it was shattered to pieces. But it didn't bother him that much. He's just glad he got his 'companion' back. He looked over at his brothers.

Mukotsu was taking out the bottles of poison he needed. Suikotsu started sharpening his claws against a tree. Ginkotsu had stayed in his tank form, so Renkotsu had to be the one to check Ginkotsu's canons, all the while taking out his own weapon and his fire gourd. Jakotsu took out Jakotsuto and was in his dreaming state. Probably wondering if he'll ever see Inuyasha again. Kyokotsu was just standing there, looking at his brothers, since he didn't have anything to do.

When Bankotsu saw that everyone was _really_ ready, he announced, "Alright, time to move!" He started walking to the village, and the rest of his brthers followed from behind.

When they arrived to the village, Bankotsu came to a halt. The others understood why. The village was completly deserted.

After a long pause, Jakotsu spoke, "Well, it's either that someone else came here before us and killed everyone, or it's just that everyone deserted this dump because it sucked."

Renkotsu frowned, "Or it's just that everyone's hiding somewhere. What do you think, Big Brother?"

Before Bankotsu could even answer, a loud roar sounded from one of the houses. **"Kagome! Let me GO! Let me at 'em!"**

Some of the Band of Seven chuckled, until they recognized the voice. Jakotsu eyes widened in recognition and he gasped, "Could it be? Inuyasha?"

**"WIND SCAR!" **Inuyasha bursted out of the hut with his sword. Kagome was next to him, holding her head between her arms. He growled at them, "The Band of Seven, huh? I should've known."

Bankotsu smiled, "Ah, Inuyasha, long time no see."

Jakotsu immediatly started squealing and running to the hanyou, "Inuyasha, oh, how I've missed you!"

Inuyasha flinched, and took a step back. His left eye was twitching, "Oh no... Not... Not you again!"

"Oh, you remembered me!"

Renkotsu groaned, "Jakotsu, enough already. You're not going to take Inuyasha, may we remind you."

"What?" He turned to Bankotsu, who started walking towards Inuyasha and him. Jakotsu wined, "But Bankostu, You know that-"

"You want those fuzzy ears of his, we all know. But _I'm_ going to be the one taking Inuyasha's life." Jakotsu pouted. Bankotsu looked around him, "So where are your other little friends, Inuyasha? I'm sure that they'd like to join in all the fun too."

And just then, Miroku, Sango and Kirara made their apperance. Inuyasha looked at his friends, and back to the Shichinintai_. "Damn. We're outnumbered... Where's Kohaku and Hikari? Shouldn't those two be here by now? Unless Shippou didn't find Kohaku, I understand that... But Hikari should be here!"_

"So then, now that everyone's here, I guess we should start our little battle." Bankotsu said as he brought down Banryuu and prepared to attack. "And this will probably be your last, so I hope you're going to make this fun."

Inuyasha just snorted, "Oh, I will. But apparently it won't be my last. Even if we are outnumbered, that doesn't mean you'll win." Seeing Bankotsu's frowned expression, he smirked and continued, "I haven't been doing nothing during these past six months, Bankotsu. Testusaiga's gotten stronger, much stronger than before, and you'll probably die in a few seconds."

Bankotsu raised a brow, "Is that so?"

Inuyasha grinned, "I know so. I've-"

_**BOOM!**_

He was completly unprepared for the attack. Before Inuyasha could finish his sentence, Renkotsu shot a canon at him, blasting the area around him. Inuyasha took Kagome and jumped out of the way just in time. "That's what you get for being so full of yourself!" Renkotsu growled.

Inuyasha let Kagome down, and got Testussaiga ready. "I guess I'll just use _Meidou Zangetsuha _to get rid of them. They don't have any jewel shards in them anymore, so I can kill them that way, I suppose."

Kagome nodded, "Yeah, but just make sure that-"

Jakotsuto's blades came at them, and Inuyasha had to hop away again. The Band of Seven didn't even give Inuyasha a chance to attack. Whenever he landed, he would always be greeted with a blade coming towards him, fits, or blows of a canon. They always seemed to be coming after him.

Inuyasha was panting, and just before Bankotsu delivered an attak, Hiraikotsu came in to protect the hanyou. "Inuyasha! Are you okay?" Miroku called from behind.

Of course, Inuyasha didn't get a chance to answer, and he had to jump out of the way.

Renkotsu frowned, "Alright, instead of going after one of them, why don't we go after all of them, Ginkotsu."

Ginkotsu responded in his metallic voice. "Gersh!"

Since Bankotsu was out fighting Inuyasha, Renkotsu had to take the commands right now, "Suikotsu, go after the monk. After all, you have a score to settle with him." Suikotsu nodded, and started walking to Miroku, all the while trying to hide himself.

"Mukotsu," The second-in-command continued, "You go to the cat demon after Jakotsu takes care of the demon slayer."

He saw Jakotsu flinch at his orders. The cross-dresser opened his mouth to whine about it, as usual, but the glare Renkotsu gave him silenced him. Jakotsu pouted, and when Sango was about to launch Hiraikotsu for a second time, he prevented the attack with his own sword. Sango gave him a dirty look, remembering the last battle they had long ago, and Jakotsu went after her. He was able to get Sango far from Kirara, and Mukotsu got his poison ready.

"Ginkotsu, you're going to help Bankotsu, and I'll go after Kagome." He turned to the giant man behind him. "Kyoukotsu, if anyone's in danger, you'll be the one to help him out, got it?" Kyoukotsu just grunted, clearly unhappy with his orders.

Renkotsu got off Ginkotsu, drank a little from his gourd, and blasted out some fire at Kagome. The miko was unprepared, since she was watching Inuyasha's battle, and she got burned on the side of her left arm. She cried out in pain, which alerted everyone around her.

Inuyasha growled at Bankotsu, _"Great. This might take a little longer than I thought."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Kohaku!" Shippou called his friend. He found Kohaku surrounded by a pack of young village girls, and Shippou could tell that he was going to die chocking anytime soon. Kohaku had just enough energy to look up. When he saw Shippou, he sighed in relief, and jumped out of the circle of girls. The girls were distracted for a moment, so he took this chance to run to Shippou.

"What's wrong?" He asked when he and Shippou were alone, without any villagers around them.

"You have to go and help Inuyasha!"

"What?" Kohaku was surprised, _"But he's always the one who **wants** to battle!"_

"I know it's wierd coming out of me, but I won't be any use out there! You're-" Just then, the loud sound of canon rand through the forest, and Kohaku and Shippou heard the villagers cry in fear.

"Ohh, nevermind!" Shippou was getting nervous, "The battle's already starten! You go out there, and I'll take your place. There's no time to explain!"

Kohaku stood there for a moment, confused, but he pushed away the bad feeling in his gut. He nodded to Shippou and ran off to the battle.

When he left, Shippou sighed, and headed to the villagers. They were all starting to panic by now.

"We're all going to die!"

"What about our home?"

"Mom, I'm scared!"

"Buddah, save us!"

"Don't worry everyone, I'm here to protect you!" Shippou said in his mighty voice. Well... It didn't sound mighty at all. But the important thing is that he tried, right? "My friends will kill whoever's out there, and you'll get back home in no time!"

The villagers all stared at him for a moment, until they all burted into tears.

"Now what do we do?"

"We're done for!"

"But I'm too young to die!"

"And I'm too old to die!"

"We had a nice guardian before, now we have this little squirt!"

"How long will our suffering last?"

Shippou sweat dropped, _"Boy, this is going to be harder than I thought."_

"Shippou!" A voice wispered to him from the bushes.

The little fox demon turned to the bushes, then at the people, and snuck away fromt the crying crowd. _"Is it Kohaku? Did he come back to change his mind? Oh, no! Then what will I do? It was already bad enough that-"_

The moment he approached the bushes, he was pulled in by force. He let out a little yell, but a hand silenced him.

"Be quiet! I don't want the villagers hearing you!"

Shippou calmed down. _"Hikari!"_

When Hikari removed her hand from his mouth, Shippou wispered, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Inuyasha?"

Hikari sighed, "I know, but I had to make sure that the villagers were okay. So, do you know what happened so far?"

Shippou cocked his head to one side, "I'm not sure, really, I just heard a loud bang, so the battle must have started."

The young healer closed her eyes, and placed the palm of her hand on the ground. _"Probably checking what's really going on," _Shippou guessed.

After a while, her eyes shot open in shock. She hopped up, not caring if the villagers saw her or not. "I'm off to help. Something's bad, and they really need all the help they can get." And she ran off.

_"Some small conversation that was." _Shippou narrowed his eyes. He felt something poking his cheek, and he slapped it. Shippou saw in his hands...

... Myouga.

"What are you doing here, Myouga?" He asked when the flea when he regained consiousness (when Myouga regained consiousness, not Shippou).

"Oh, I'm just here too see what's going on, nothing special really. So what _is_ wrong? I don't see Master Inuyasha anywhere, or anybody else. Did they finally decide to abandon you?"

Shippou was taken aback. He cried out, **"What do you mean, they finally decided to abandon me? I'm as helpful as anyone, unlike you!"**

Myouga had to cover his ears, "I was just joking around, don't worry. But you didn't answer my question yet."

Shippou sighed, "Well, it's a long story, but I guess I'll have enough time to explain everything..."

*O*~*O*~*O*

When Sango heard Kagome's cry, she whipped around to see what was going on. Jakotsu took this chance to deliver a blow, and even if Sango blocked the attack, she was out of balace, and she recieved a blow on her shoulder. She stood there, holding her wound, and braced herself for another attack.

Jakotsu yawned, "Honestly, why do I always have to get stuck with the woman? And one that doesn't even know how to fight properly?"

Sango snarled, and shot Hiraikotsu at him. While that kept him busy for a moment, she glanced at Miroku, who was trying to block the attacks coming from Suikotsu. She knew how Kagome and Inuyasha were. Inuyasha and Bankotsu were shooting 'Wind Scars' and 'Dragon Hammers' at each other. You could just hear them through the whole crowd.

"Damn half-demon, go to hell!"

"I'll send you back to where you belong, you rotten corpse!"

"Nice comeback. But I'm alive and well this time!"

"It was just a matter of speach, you retard!"

Sango sighed at the two bickering and thought about her miko friend. _"Kagome's in danger with Renkotsu as an opponent... If only if I was able to reach her!" _

She couldn't spot Kirara anywhere. Then, she saw her feline friend with the poison master. She was holding him down with one of her large paws. She looked like she was doing well, but Sango could see that Kirara had some poison inside her, ans she could tell that her friend is having a though time. _"They've gotten stronger alright... Just like those other old enemies we came across. We might not be able to keep this up for much longer."_

Kohaku arrived at the scene of the battle, and he was shocked to see his friends getting beaten up. What shocked him the most though, was the Band of Seven. He remembered them from his past with Naraku. He felt uncomfortable just remembering those days.

_"This isn't the time to be thinking about things like that." _He saw Kyoukotsu from the corner of his eye. The overgrown man was just standing there, doing nothing. He seemed pretty bored. _"Then let's give him something to do, shall we?" _He chuckled, and took out his weapon.

He remembered that time he sliced Kyoukotsu hand off because he tried to take his jewel shard away. It was like slicing clothing. Thanks to the power of the jewel, Kyoukotsu recovered in a second. _"But this time, he doesn't have a jewel shard." _He launched his weapon, and hit Kyoukotsu's chest, barely missing his heart. He cried out in pain, and Kohaku grabbed the object, and went for the large man again.

The Band of Seven all looked at the boy, and their eyes widened. "Kohaku!"

Bankotsu looked at the boy, _"What's he doing with Inuyasha? Does that mean... Naraku's dead?" _

Inuyasha saw that Bankotsu was distracted, and so he ran at him, and launched another 'Wind Scar'. This one sent Banryuu flying to the roof of a tiny temple, and Bankotsu fell to the ground. The others around them didn't take any notice, they were busy themselves. Before Bankotsu could get up, Inuyasha was already in front of him, holding Tetsusaiga to the young mercenary's neck.

Inuyasha stared at his opponent. "Sorry, Bankotsu. But I win again. Too bad you couldn't live any longer." Bankotsu growled at him in hatred, when he saw something shine from above him...

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari stared at the battle going on down below. She was up on a tree again, looking at her friends and her enemies fight. Kagome and some other friends were injured badly, and so were the Band of Seven. Yet they all conitnued their fight. She looked over at the two leaders who didn't take any notice of this.

She growled at them and bared her teeth, _"How could they be so... clueless and stupid? Their friends are in danger, and what the hell do they do about it? I know that they have confidence in them, but come on! Kagome's burned and she can barely move, Inuyasha, snap out of it!" _

She heard Kyoukotsu's cry of pain, but didn't pay any attention to it. She was focused on the two people in front of her. Bankotsu turned his head to see his brother, and Inuyasha had taken this moment of distraction to send his Wind Scar. Banryuu flew to the roof of the temple which was right next to Hikari, and she knew that the battle was over. Inuyasha had his Tetsusaiga at Bankotsu's throat. Just then, from the corner of her eye, Hikari saw that Kagome had tripped over one of her fallen arrows, and Renkotsu was about to deliver the final blow.

Hikari's eyes went wide. She knew that she had to react quickly. She looked at Banryuu, then at Inuyasha and Bankotsu. _"I got only one shot at this, so I'd __better do this right." _

She jumped to where Banryuu was, took out her demonic blades, and, when she was certain that she would get her target, lifted her blades to shoot them.

She heard Inuyasha say, "Sorry, Bankotsu. But I win again. Too bad you couldn't live longer."

She felt that same anger coming back, and she yelled, "Inuyasha, Bankotsu, That's enough!"

When the two men looked up, she launched both of her blades at Inuyasha and Bankotsu, and Inuyasha hopped away just in time. All the attention was on her now. The Band of Seven and the Inutachi stared at what was going on.

Renkotsu stopped what he was doing, and Kagome was safe. Hikari sighed, _"Good. She's alright. Now, I guess I'll have to deal with these two." _She looked down at Inuyasha and Bankotsu.

The half demon looked at the healer in anger, "Hikari? What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?"

Hearing that name, Bankotsu froze. _"Hikari?" _He bolted up, and looked at the feminine silhouette. He stared in surprise, _"Is it really...?" _He had to know.

"Hikari? Hikari, is that you?"

Despite the anger she felt before, and because of his happy little childish voice, she couldn't help but smile at him, "Hi, Bankotsu. Been a while, huh?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"Wait, what?" _Inuyasha stared at Bankotsu, then at Hikari and back. Everyone was just as confused as he was. But most of the Band of Seven were just staring at Hikari because of her beauty on the sunlight. Their mouthes dropped a little. _Just_ a little.

Hikari saw this and groaned, _"Aw, crap, I knew I should have brought something ugly to wear. Honestly, why are men just so... lustful? I'll never understand."_

Inuyasha was growling again, "Alright, Hikari, get your ass down here, and explain!"

The healer rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Well, geez, I'm sorry mother. I didn't mean to get you mad and all." She looked at Bankotsu, who still had that happy smile on his face, and softly smiled back. She then looked over at Banryuu, which was right next to her now. She glanced at everyone, and walked over to the giant halberd.

She picked it up with a hand.

In that instant, the jaws of the whole Band of Seven dropped, and their eyes bounced out of their heads. Well, everyone, except Ginkotsu and Bankotsu. Ginkotsu didn't have a jaw that could fall off, but his eyes did go wide. Bankotsu didn't react. Kagome and Sango inwardly giggled at their stupid expressions.

Hikari jumped off the roof, and as usual, did a flip in the air and landed in front of the two leaders. She turned to Bankotsu and her eyes softened. "I believe this belongs to you." She said as she handed him Banryuu.

Inuyasha couldn't hold the questions in anymore. He yelled at Hikari, **"Alright, what the hell is going on? First, you attack me, and now-"**

"Will you quit your yapping, already? It's giving me a headache." said Hikari in her calm voice.

Inuyasha was taken aback. "Wha... what?"

Hikari sighed and turned to look at him. "Look, I need to talk with Bankotsu for a moment. I'll explain everything later."

And Inuyasha bursted out again. **"The FUCK you won't! You are so-"**

"Inuyasha..." Hikari said in a warning tone. It was the same tone Kagome would use before 'sitting' him. Inuyasha took a step back. She gave him a glare that could probably make a man run away and scream for his dead mother. It froze the blood in the men's veines. It made Inuyasha and the Band of Seven flinch and shiver.

Then, with a joyful voice and a cute smile, she continued, "I'd appreciate talking to Bankotsu for a while, if you may."

Inuyasha was trembling. "Uhh... umm..." And before she could give him another glare, he quickly answered, "Okay..."

_"Finally." _She inwardly growled. "Oh, and Inuyasha..." She said before she left with Bankotsu at her side, "I don't want to see another member of the Band of Seven harmed while I'm gone, got it?"

"Same goes for you men!" Bankotsu said to his comrades. And before anyone can whine about it (*ahem, Jakotsu and Inuyasha*), they both ran off into the forest.

Kagome stared at them, _"Inuyasha's right, though. What **is** going on?"_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Alright, I guess that's enough with the running." Hikari said when she knew no one could follow them. She turned around, "So then, Bankotsu, explain to me-" She stopped when she saw the way he was staring at her.

His eyes were soft, and his face was clam. Hikari could swear that he would give her a giant bear hug any moment now. Bankotsu observed her from head to toe. "You really changed, haven't you?"

Hikari rolled her eyes, "What do you expect after six months of not seeing you?"

Bankotsu chuckled, "Changed physicaly, not mentaly. So... what have you been doing for the time I was gone?"

She sighed, "You know this isn't the time to talk about that. And I'm going to ask the questions for now."

"Well, you can always look into my memories to get your answers."

"Cocky attitude as always, I see."

"You know it." He smirked.

Hikari smiled. Then, she remembred to get serious, "So you don't have any idea of who resurrected you? Or why?"

The mercenary shook his head. "Nope. I only woke up with my brothers around me, and before you ask, yes, I found Banryuu with me. And if I don't know who resurrected me, I don't know why." Then, his mind difted to Kohaku, "Tell me, is Naraku still alive? I mean, that ninja kid-"

"Kohaku. He's a demon slayer."

"Whatever. He used to serve Naraku, right?"

Hikari looked up at the sky. "He used to, yes. And yes, Naraku is dead. Inuyasha and his gang killed him about two months ago."

He growled at Inuyasha's name. "Speaking of that mutt, what are you doing with him?"

Hikari didn't say anything, and she stood there, looking up at the now darkening sky. "I'm... helping him and his friends."

"What do you mean by helping?"

She paused. Bankotsu was still waiting impatiently. "Well?"

"... It's complicated..."

"Then explain. We've got all the time we have. Inuyasha can wait, and so can my brothers."

"... Alright, fine." She sighed. You know that Naraku's dead now, but Inuyasha can't rest. He's got bigger problems." She glanced at Bankotsu to make sure that he followed. "His previous enemies are coming back to life, such as you. We don't know who's resurrecting them, or why. But we all think that it's Naraku. Naraku fooled Inuyasha once by faking his death, and if this is another one of his traps, we won't be surprised."

"You keep on saying 'we' because you're with them, aren't you? What buisness do you have in this mess?" Bankotsu knew very well the answer.

Hikari flinched a little, "You know very well why I have to. I have buisness with Naraku too, may I remind you."

Bankotsu frowned, "Yeah, but why stick with them? The last time I saw you, you were on your own, and you were fine with that."

"I know, but... I've got a feeling that they need me know. I feel like as if this involves me too, and that I'm supposed to be in this mess with them. So I've decided that I'll see what's going on. And I'm not leaving them until I find out who's responsible for this."

Bankotsu remained silent, deep in thought. _"So she's hanging out with Inutrasha now... That means that she's my enemy now, doesn't it?"_

"What? Of course not!" Hikari's surprised voice made him jump. When he calmed down, she said in a more calm tone, "Did you already forget that I could read your mind?"

"Ummm... A little?"

She took a deep breath. "We'd better head back to the others. They're all getting pretty impatient, and if they wait anymore, they'll probably start killing each other again." She took his hand and started walking to the small town, where two groups of enemies twitching impatiently for Hikari and Bankotsu to return.

Bankotsu wanted to start a conversation, "So you're really going to stay with them?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I have to. To protect them, help them, and whatever. By the way, I never would have expected you to bring Renkotsu along. I mean, after what he did to Jakotsu, I would have thought that-"

"You're right, but I decided to give him a second chance. If I find a new member, than maybe I can replace him somehow... or kill him. I don't trust him that much yet, and I'll wait till he finally proves his loyalty to me. Again."

He remembered about that last day he and Hikari had together. "I guess I kept my promise, huh?"

Hikari nodded. "But I never would have expected that you'd come... like this."

"Yeah, me either... so... really, what _have_ you been doing when I was gone?"

Hikari narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you really _that_ desperate to know if I found another man?"

He blushed furiously, "W-what? O-of course n-not! I-I was just-"

Hikari laughed, "You don't need to explain yourself, I guess it's just normal when you're a guy." She looked ahead of her, "When a man goes to war, or goes away, it's pretty normal to wonder if his... uhh..."

Bankotsu gave her an encouraging and teasing look. She blushed and mumbled, "I can't believe I'm saying this... Why did I even bring this up?"

She was talking normaly again, but Bankotsu could clearly see that the blush on her face didn't leave. "It's pretty normal to wonder if his..."- Hikari forced the word out -"...**_woman _**has moved on or found another love. There I said it. Happy now?"

Bankotsu chuckled, which made Hikari blush even more. "So... you're not interested in anyone else other than me?"

Hikari frowned, "Stop being so full of yourself. If I survived without a man whom I loved for more than half of my life, than I can survive six months."

Bankotsu continued to tease her, "That still didn't answer my question."

Hikari groaned, "You really haven't changed at all."

"Yup, that's me. Now then...?"

"Alright, alright, you got me." She turned to look at him. "I might still-"

She froze. She whipped around again, "We're here. And I'm pretty sure that Inuyasha could hear us by now."

Bankotsu growled in annoyance, _"Dammit! Why does this always happen when the good part comes in?" _

Seeing how Bankotsu was getting pissed off, Hikari comforted him by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Ah, Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that we're gonna bump into each other soon. I mean, with Jakotsu's whining, and Inuyasha's... umm... smelling, I've got a feeling that this won't be the last time we see each other."

The young mercenary clamed down and looked at the healer. Her gaze would always remind him of the times they had together. It was always so warm and soft to him, no matter what emotion it showed. _"Well, expect when she's pissed off. Then, it's fiery and 'powerful'. And scary." _

"Alright, so I guess I'll see you later. But first..." He grabbed her chin between his fingers, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. Hikari's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks grow hot. Almost immediatly after the kiss, Bankotsu ran off to his comrades, leaving Hikari frozen to the spot.

She forced herself to place a finger on her lips. _"So he still feels the same way? I might have thought by now that he'd forgotten all about me..." _She smiled and blushed. _"Well, he always was full of surprises." _

When she heard Inuyasha's loud, **'You bastard, what the hell did you do with her?'**, she groaned, slapped her forehead, and raced to her friends. She could picture Bankotsu with his cocky smirk, and Inuyasha with Tetsusaiga in his hands. The only thing that prevented him from attacking Bankotsu was probably the rest of the Inutachi, who were literally splattering his body.

Hikari sighed. _"Yes, you're still full of surprises, Bankotsu."_

* * *

**I'm getting pretty proud of myself, really. ^^ But then again, maybe I shouldn't be. I don't know if this is making much sense to you, so don't be afraid to ask. Or... you could try to wait for the next chapters :P**

**I might be editing a few stuff later, so it may take a while before I update again. **

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	6. The Truth Comes Out

**Finally! Chapter 5! :D**

**Yes, I got my chapter 1 fixed. I tried to do my best from memory, but if you noticed that there's anything missing, plz let me know. Because I'm sure that I missed something.**

**Disclaimer: Yet again, no, I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**~Stars of The Moon~**

**Chapter 5**

"What's taking them so long?" Inuyasha's leg kept twitching. After Hikari left with Bankotsu, the two groups of enemies felt rather ucomfortable.

They seperated into two groups, and they kept their a very faaaarrrr distance between them.

"Stop complaining, Hikari's going to come back sooner or later, and then you could whine about it. She's going to tell us everything." Kagome sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but Inuyasha was right. Those two were taking longer than she thought. And she wondered what they were doing **(A/N: No, not that way, you perverts :P)**.

Kagome shivered as she felt someone's gaze on her. She already knew who it was, and she didn't want to turn around. She wispered to Sango, "Is he still staring at me?"

Sango looked behind Kagome's shoulder, and wispered back, "Yes, he is. And I'm sure glad that I'm not you."

"Well that's encouraging!" She shivered again. Ever since Hikari left, and ever since they've divided to groups, Kagome knew that Mukotsu was watching her. But she could tell that he wasn't staring at her with lust - in was with fury.

The one time she turned to look at the old man, his eyes were cold and full of hatred. She decided to never look his way again. _"Come on, I know that I refused to marry him and that I tried to kill him, but what else did he expect? He's my enemy! He could at least stop staring at me for **one** minute!"_

"Kagome, can you help me with this?" Sango asked when she tried to treat Miroku's wounds. They figured that instead of staying there like idiots, they'd actually do something useful.

"Oh, right." She decided to start a conversation, since she felt that everyone was getting bored. Well, bored in a way. They were all worried about Hikari, and they couldn't stand all the confusion that was going on.

"So... Ummm..." Everyone's heads were turned to her. She was suddenly getting very nervous. And she got an idea. She wispered so only her friends can hear. "Did you notice how large that umm... what's his name?"

"Who?" Kohaku blinked. He knew all their names, and of course, he would be able to answer Kagome's question. "Are you talking about Kyoukotsu?"

"Yeah! That's him!" She said a little too loud. And, she felt that same shiver coming up her spine. "He's still looking at me, isn't he?"

Her friends all looked at the Band of Seven, then came back to Kagome. "Yes, but not only him, the rest of them as well," said Miroku.

_"Aw, crap. Just when I was about to cheer people up, I have to get myself all the attention."_

"So, what about Kyoukotsu?" Inuyasha asked after a long pause.

"Oh, well..." Kagome almost for got what she was about to say, until she remembered, "Did you notice how big he is? I mean, I know that we've heard that he was large, but honestly, that much? No wonder people can't tell if he's a demon or human."

Sango smiled, "Well, I was pretty surprised myself."

Kagome inwardly sighed in relief, thinking that she finally said something that wouldn't fail. But after that, everyone remained silent.

Then, from the Band of Seven, they heard Jakotsu's voice. "Hey, Bankotsu's back!"

The Inutachi whipped to the little forest, where Bankotsu walked into the clearing. "Hey, sorry I took a while." His brothers narrowed his eyes at him, but didn't say anything.

Inuyasha immediatly jumped and grabbed Tetsusaiga. **"You bastard, what the hell did you do with her?"** And before Inuyasha could start attacking Bankotsu (again), the rest of the group squashed him to the ground.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"What is Big Brother doing with that woman?" Ever since his best friend left, Jakotsu's been complaining about how long those two are taking.

"Maybe Big Brother decided to trick the woman, and might be trying to kill her...?" Suikotsu sugested.

Renkotsu raised a brow. "If that was the case, wouldn't we hear them fighting?"

"Well, maybe he's trying to kill her from behind."

Renkotsu shook his head, "That's impossible. Big Brother only kills after frightening his victim. He would never try to come from behind someone's back and kill. And besides, by the looks he gave to that woman, I'm sure that there's some connection between them."

"Well, that can be, I guess," Jakotsu frowned. "If there's only one reason he actually likes that woman, it's because he thinks that she's beautiful."

"I wouldn't surprised if he thought that," Mukotsu said without looking at his brothers. He was staring at Kagome, of course. "That woman - I believe her name is Hikari. She's probably the most beautiful young thing you'll ever see. And by the looks of her face, she looks like the loyal and honest type."

The others didn't want to admit it, but Mukotsu could have been right. Of course, she didn't look like any of the other woman they've ever seen. But how could their fearless and proud leader possibly fall for a woman? The Band of Seven felt pretty discouraged.

Kyoukotsu winced for probably the thirtieth time today. The injuries Kohaku gave him were pretty bad, and they were probably getting infected by now. He didn't say anything for the whole time.

"I think we should ask him some questions."

Everyone turned to look at their second-in-command. Yes, even Mukotsu.

"You know how Big Brother hates having to be questioned. You're going to have your life at risk, there." Suikotsu warned.

Renkostu flinched, remembering the last time he was alive and how Bankotsu had killed him. He shivered at the memory. He never wanted to go through that again. _"But if we don't have enough information, we'll end up going through hell a third time."_

"I'm going to take my chances. If Big Brother doesn't tell us anything anymore, like last time, we'll be killed again."

And suddenly, they heard from the other side, "Yeah, that's him!" and they all turned to see who it was. Kagome did it, of course. They all looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Mukotsu, I think she's talking about you." Ginkotsu snickered. The rest of them chuckled, and Mukotsu gave them a dirty glare. He pouted in his little private corner.

"Aw, come on, old man, we were just kidding, that's all," Suikotsu teased.

The poison master flinched, "Don't you ever call me that, or I'll-"

"If you're going to say 'blast you with my poison', you know that that's not going to work." said Renkotsu.

"Hey, Bankotsu's back!"

Their leader appeared from the little forest. He grinned at his comrades. "Hey, sorry I took a while."

Everyone noticed that he didn't come back with the girl. _"Does that mean that he killed her? No - there's no blood on his halberd. So where is she?" _Renkotsu narrowed his eyes. The only one who looked actually really happy to see him was Jakotsu.

**"You bastard, what the hell did you do with her?"**

The Band of Seven turned to see Inuyasha getting squashed by his friends. _"Are these really the enemies we once knew?" _Suikotsu sweat dropped.

"What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha yelled to his friends.

"Are you seriously going to try to attack him again?" Miroku grunted as he almost recieved a punch from his half-demon friend.

"Hikari isn't with him!"

"Inuyasha, calm down already! I'm over here!"

Hikari came out of the forest and went to Bankotsu's side. He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes. _"Always in such a rush."_

She glanced at the Band of Seven and quickly looked away when she realised that they were staring at her all wierdly. She felt their suspicious aura, and before she left Bankotsu's side, she wispered, "If your brothers ever ask you about me, tell them the truth."

Bankotsu sounded surprised, but he wispered back, "What? But why?"

"Because, if you don't tell them, they'll suspect your leadership! How would someone like it if their leader looked nice and soft all of a sudden because of a girl! And what happened because of that? You ended up killed yourselves!" She almost hissed it out.

Before Bankotsu could say anything else, she left him there, and she walked over to her friends. Bankotsu shrugged, and he turned to his brothers.

They never knew that they were going to live a nightmare after that. A very annoying nightmare.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Alright, start explaining." Inuyasha said when all the Inutachi gathered around.

After the Band of Seven left the village, Inuyasha immediatly started questioning her. But, of course, they couldn't do anything out there, so they went into a hut, where nobody could find them. Kohaku left to get Shippou and all the villagers, and the Inutachi knew that the moment the townspeople would see them, they'd probably start asking for another celebration. They didn't want to go through that again.

"How do you know Bankotsu, and why are you acting so nice around him?" Inuyasha almost growled.

"Inuyasha, how many times do I have to say it? Calm. Down. I said I was going to explain everything, didn't I?" Hikari sighed. "If I'm going to have to explain you everything, it's probably going to take all night."

"Well, that's fine. We have all the time we have."

"... Alright, I'll start from the beginning." Hikari looked up to the ceiling. "The day the Band of Seven was resurrected, I was in the village closeby from their shrine. When I heard that the monument split into two, I knew I had to do something about it. So I went after the closest aura I could find."

She paused, and looked at her friends. "You could already guess that it was Bankotsu. When I first met him, he was injured by a demon snake."

"So why didn't you take advantage from that?" Sango asked.

"First, I would never take advantage of a weak person or demon, since that might make me look like a coward, or something. And second, there's a L. Healer rule. Healers like me are never supposed to take advantage of an injured human. Instead, you have to treat his or her wounds."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, "And you followed that rule. Why couldn't you just ignore it? Bankotsu is a mercenary. Doens't that make an exception?"

Hikari's eyes saddened. "Inuyasha, fit it into your tiny head, because I'm not answering that."

Since Inuyasha still looked completly cluless, Miroku explained into his ear. "Hikari is the only survivor of the L. Healers, may I remind you. Wouldn't you want to continue your tradition if all of your kind was gone?"

"Oh. Good point."

"May I continue?" Hikari asked the two men. "So anyways, I helped him take care of the pain. For the next few days, we've ran into each other a few times. Eventually, he told me who resurrected him, what he's supposed to do, and bla bla bla. And when we really started to see each other almost every day, we just decided to train together for a while."

She waited for Inuyasha to burst out again. _"3... 2... 1..."_

"WHAT? You TRAINED with him?"

Hikari sighed. _"They'll never forgive me." _

"Yeah, I guess I did. Look, before you start yelling again, just listen to me till I finish my story." She made sure that Inuyasha wasn't about to do something again. "So after training for a while, that last day came. Bankotsu lost all his brothers, and he had to leave for Mt, Hakurei. I knew that there was a big chance that he might die, so I let him go anyways."

Hikari closed her eyes, and waited for everyone to scream at her. The yelling never came. When she opened her eyes, her friends weren't looking at her. They were looking away, and the L. Healer could tell that their eyes were full of pity and regret.

The young healer couldn't stand watching them like this. "Look, I won't blame you if you kick me out. I understand, so just say it. It's making me feel worse just looking at you all like this."

Kohaku barged into the room with Shippou at his tail. They were both panting. "Boy, was that close! Those villagers are crazier than I thought!" said Shippou.

The two noticed how uncomfortable the air felt. Kohaku looked at his sister, "Hey, what's going on?"

No one answered. Myouga, who was on Shippou shoulder now, looked at everyone. His gaze went to Hikari. "Hikari, my girl, what's the matter, you look pretty down!" He jumped onto her hand. Now, everyone was shocked.

_"How does he know...?" _Inuyasha blinked.

She gave the flea a sad smile, and lifted her hand to her face. "Hey, Myouga. Long time no see, huh?" She looked at her friends, and sighed (again), "This.. isn't the right time to celebrate, okay?"

"Great." Inuyasha growled. "So you're keeping more secrets? At this rate, we **_will_** go all night just talking about this!"

Hikari lowered her head, and looked away. Myouga turned his head to Inuyasha, and to Hikari, and back. _"Did I miss something?"_

Inuyasha snarled and talked to Myouga. "Look, since she's not explaining, you say everything you know! And while you're at it, tell us if you knew that Hikari helped Bankotsu!"

Shippou's eyes widened. _"What? Hikari? Help Bankotsu? But that can't be right!"_

Myouga started getting nervous. "Umm... well... I... uh..."

"Talk, flea!"

The rest of the Inutachi didn't say anything.

Kagome tried to look as if she was suddenly very interested into the wall, Sango was polishing Hiraikotsu, even though it was already sparkling, and Miroku was just examinating his sutras, even though he knew every single one of them by heart. Shippou didn't understand a thing of what was going on, and Kohaku was frowning, trying to figure out what happened.

Inuyasha was desperate to know if Hikari was hiding any other secrets. _"If she's working with the Band of Seven, then, she's working with the one's who resurrected them. And if it's Naraku, that just means that she's the enemy. It's a simple link! Why can't the others see it? For crying out loud, she's nice with a zombie!"_

Hikari flinched. She lifted her head to glare at Inuyasha. Her eyes weren't sad anymore; they were cold.

She stood up, and walked out of the room. Before leaving, she gave the hanyou a final glance and snarled, "Inuyasha, I want to talk with you outside. Alone. And I don't want _anyone_ to disturbe us."

The Inutachi was shocked. Even though Hikari didn't say much, they never heard her voice sounding so cold and full of hatred. Inuyasha sat there, stunned.

"Uh... Master Inuyasha..."

The hanyou looked down at Myouga. "What?" He snapped.

"Um... I'm not trying to be rude or anything... But I think you should go now."

Inuyasha blinked. He stood up and walked out, "Alright, fine. But I'm blaming you for this if I die."

When he got out, there weren't any villagers around. _"Probably all out getting some sleep soon. With all the drama, I wouldn't be surprised if they're tired." _He sniffed the air, looking for Hikari. Finally, he caught a wiff of her scent, and he ran off to her direction.

He found her sitting on a boulder not far from the entrance of the village, and he suddenly got this very guilty feeling in his stomach. Seeing at how she was looking at him made him sick. Scared sick_. _

_"Did she come to the enterance because she might want to leave? She can't do that! She said that she'd help us on this! Even if she is a traitor, she can't go. We made a deal._"

And then he saw her eyes grow colder. They shone in the moonlight, and anyone could see them clearly. _"Oh shit, I forgot!"_ Of course, Hikari could tell everything he was thinking about, she could read his mind.

Her voice sounded normal again. "So, Inuyasha. Why don't you tell me the last thing you thought about _before_ I left the hut? I want to hear it out loud."

Inuyasha blinked and stood still for a moment. He tried to remember. _"What's her point with all this?"_

"I just want you to say it out loud. Without looking into your thoughts. I want to hear how you'll say it."

He almost growled. "You're nice with a zombie."

She snickered. "Ah, that's what I wanted to hear. Now, why don't you explain your theory?"

"It's exactly what it means. You're being all kind and gentle to some undead mercenary. I thought you were smarter than that, Hikari. You knew that the seven of them were working with Naraku, and you knew that they would cause trouble to everyone. Yet because of your healer rules, you had to help him."

Hikari stayed silent.

"I understand why you did it, and it's to keep your honor, I know. But honestly, when it comes to killing one person to save thousands of lives, wasn't the answer obvious? I mean, Bankotsu was from the undead! And-"

All that time, Hikari had listened to what he had to say. But this time, she spoke. "And Kikyou wasn't?"

Inuyasha was completly shocked. _"Wha-what...?"_

"You heard me. You say that Bankotsu was undead, yes it's true. But so was Kikyou. Wasn't she one of your enemies, at first?"

Inuyasha felt furious. His eyes burned with rage. "Don't you dare bring Kikyou into this! You have no buisness her!"

"The **hell** I don't!"

Hikati was standing up now. The hanyou was taken aback. He couldn't do anything but listen to what she had to say.

"I have no buisness with her. But the Band of Seven and Kikyou are alike in many ways. And I have buisness with Bankotsu. They've died in tragic ways, they came back to life only to suffer more, they basically died by Naraku's hands, and I can't tell what else they have in common, 'cause you'll probably fall asleep before I finish. Bankotsu was your enemy, that's true. But didn't Kikyou try to kill you once, too? The Band of Seven had orders to take, yet Kikyou wanted to kill you by her own will."

Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell do you have against Kikyou? Leave her out of this!"

"I don't have anything against her, I'm saying that I'm against you!" She yelled to his face.

Hikari's eyes were now burning with blue fury. Her lips pulled back into a snarl, and Inuyasha braced himself in case she attacked him.

Her voice tone just got higher and higher, "You're judging me about what I've done. I've trained with Bankotsu, and I admit it, I liked being with him. But even with all the training, you've killed him anyways!"

Inuyasha could have sworn that she would burst at him that time, but she didn't. She continued, "When I trained with him, I enjoyed my thime with him. In fact, it might have been one of the greatest times I've had in my life. He looked at who I really was, and I so became good friends with him. A mercenary." Hikari started growling at him.

"And then, there's you." At that moment, Inuyasha saw a dark energy flowing around her. Not only that, but Hikari started to look different, too. It was very faint, but he was able to see the difference.

She kept on going, "The hanyou who fell in love with a miko. And even after her death, you kept on loving her. You were so stuck in the past, you probably could have been completly blind to what was in front of you. You knew how Kagome felt about you, and yet you still continued hurting her. You **fucking** idiot!"

Inuyasha winced.

"You should have noticed by then that Kikyou didn't give a damn about how you were! Alright, so she liked you, and she surely didn't want to see you dead. But at least _she_ moved on! She was a great ally, even I have to admit that! But all that she was! An ally and a friend, but you kept on seeing her as your lover!"

The hanyou looked away, and decided to hold all his anger for the end.

"You are such a backstabber! You should have known how Kikyou felt. You should have known how _Kagome_ felt! You broke her heart everytime you left her! She was so close to leaving you, you were probably lucky that she forgave you everytime! I know the truth. The first things that made you fall in love with Kagome was that she had the almost exact same things as Kikyou!"

Inuyasha had enough, "Mind your own buiness! This has nothing to do with Bankotsu! If you brought me here to lecture me about all I've did, I learned my lesson! I regret what I did to Kagome, okay! If you're not finished, I'll probably start leaving now, thanks." He turned around to walk away.

The healer snickered, and Inuyasha flinched. She sounded so much more different, and somehow... evil. He looked at the girl, and his eyes widened. "_That dark energy... Why does it feel so uncomfortable? It's so much more powerful than I've felt before!" _

He took a step back. _"W-why is it creating a demonic aura? Hikari's human, isn't she? Then why do I feel like I'm in some sort of huge danger?" _He saw her dragon necklace shaking, and not because of Hikari's movements.

It looked like as if it was reacting to the dark aura.

Hikari probably didn't listen to his thoughts, because she spoke in an icy voice that made Inuyasha's blood freeze. She growled, "Oh, don't worry. I'm finished. But you know what the link is?"

She paused. And in a low tone, she wispered, only for Inuyasha to hear. "We're different, Inuyasha. Think about what I've done, and think about what you've done. Who was the one who made people suffer? Who did the most damage to the ones around him? If you think carefuly, **half breed**," -She snarled the word out- "you'd find the real answer. And you'll see that helping a zombie wasn't as bad as you think it was."

Inuyasha was so caught up in what she was saying that he didn't realise that she had left. Her words rang in his ears, and he knew what she meant. He didn't know what he'd tell her when she comes back. That is, **_if_** she comes back.

He walked back to the others, and there were two things on his mind the whole time.

First, what Hikari told him, and the truth of everything she felt when he blamed her for being Bankotsu's friend.

And second, what traumatised him the most, the sinister dark aura he felt around Hikari when she spoke with such hatred.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu sighed after explaining his story to his brothers. They took it better than he thought. In fact, they seemed like they were interested in his story. But still, that didn't stop them from asking questions about Hikari. They were still suspicious.

"So you hung out with her, trained with her, and talked to her."

"If I trained with her, Jakotsu, doesn't that logically mean that I talked to her and hung out with her?"

Jakotsu snorted. He mumbled, "You know how I find women disgusting. It's normal that I ask things like this."

Renkotsu asked, "So if she trained with you, that must mean that she was strong, wasn't she?"

Bankotsi smirked. "Oh, she's strong, all right. She started beating me up at first, but then, I just got stronger."

The bald man inwardly growled, _"That's because you had the all the jewel shards."_

Bankotsu yawned. "Look, it's getting dark. We'd better rest. And if we ever come across Inuyasha, we'd better get ready to win that time."

He heard Renkotsu mumble to Suikotsu, "That is, if he has the guts to try and kill the girl."

Bankotsu kept his temper and spoke to his brothers in his light-hearted voice, "Look, just because Hikari was a... friend... ish, that doesn't mean that I'll go easy and be soft. Meeting Hikari with Inuyasha was a shock, yes. But doesn't mean I'm going to go nice on that half demon. Understand?"

The others flinched and immediatly started getting ready for the night. They knew that when Bankotsu used that tone, they'd better shut up and do want he wants.

_"Now then..."_ He looked at his brothers one by one. _"Who's going to keep guard tonight, I wonder? I don't trust Renkotsu enough. After all, he might run off any moment. Mukotsu's probably getting too old to even try stay awake. Kyoukotsu needs some rest to recover from that cut in his gut, so I'll let him pass. Jakotsu'll only whine about my orders, and I've already got a headache. So I guess that leaves me Ginkotsu and Suikotsu." _

He made a quick decision and called to his metal friend. "Ginkotsu, you're staying up for the night shift! In two hours, Suikotsu's going to take your place."

Suikotsu grunted. He leaned against a tree, not far from Ginkotsu, and closed his eyes. Bankotsu watched his brothers settle down.

_"Tonight's gonna be a little tense. Let's hope that tomorow's going to be better."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

_**The next morning...**_

"What? She ran off?" Kagome asked when she woke up.

Last night, she fell asleep before Inuyasha came back. She asked Miroku what happened, and was shocked when she heard the news.

"Inuyasha didn't explain what she had said or what they talked about last night," said the monk. "But he did seem awfully shocked when he came back. When I saw that Hikari wasn't with him, I guessed that something happened. I asked him where she was, but he didn't answer."

"Maybe I'll try to ask him." Kagome said as she stood up and left the little house. _"Now where could he have gone to?" _

She searched for Inuyasha for a long while. She looked in the huts, in the forests, and even asked the villagers a few questions. Too bad that that only got the villagers panicking for the disappearance of a friend. Eventually, Kagome got tired. _"I think I looked everywhere, but I can't find him! What did he run off too? Maybe he left to get Hikari? Naw, Inuyasha doesn't do that without telling anybody. So then he must be here somewhere... Wait! I've got it!"_

She went back to the hut where the rest of her friends were. But she didn't go in. _"Knowing Inuyasha, he wouldn't go running around in the village. So maybe he's here..." _

She took a deep breath, and yelled a certain word. **"SIT!"**

A split second later, Kagome heard a loud '**BOOM'**. She turned her head to her right to see Inuyasha flat on the ground.

Kagome heard him mumble, "Damn beads, why can't she just take'em off already?"

She rolled her eyes and walked to him, "Because, you still need to learn how to behave, like a good dog."

Inuyasha stood up and shook the dust off his clothes. "I'm a dog _demon_, not just some ordinary pet. If any other demon sees me treated this way, I swear, I'll stay hidden for the rest of my life. It's already bad enough that Kouga laughs when this happens, and I can't stand it. "

"Oh, don't worry, I'll take the beads off... some day. But nevermind that, what happened to Hikari?"

Inuyasha looked away in shame. He didn't answer.

"Look, all I'm asking is why Hikari left. Leave out the details, and just tell me what happened basically." Kagome repeated.

"... Fine." He sighed. "She told me... about a few things. She told me how she doesn't deserve to be blamed, but not in a bad way. She looked like she was suffering a little too. Then, when I pushed her too far, she just... ran off to some place. I went back to the hut after that."

Kagome blinked. "So she ran off on her own? She left by her own will?"

Inuyasha nodded and the young miko's eyes widened.

"But... do you think she'll come back? We still need her, to find out who-"

"I know. I tried to follow her scent, but she must have somehow masked it or something." Inwardly, he added, _"And with the things I've said, I doubt she'll ever come back."_

Kagome looked down. "I see. And I guess she won't come back. I mean, none of us said anything to her after she finished her story. All we did was look away or give her glares. I can't imagine how she must feel right now."

They were both deep in thought, until they heard Sango's voice calling to them. "Hey you two! Hikari's back!"

Inuyasha and Kagome whipped around to look at their friend. "What? She's here?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Hikari, where were you?" Miroku asked when everyone arrived.

The healer shrugged. "Just taking a little fresh air. I needed to cool myself off." She glanced at Inuyasha, who quickly looked away.

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, but why stay out so late? You could have come back to sleep here, at least."

"I... just wanted to rest somewhere where I would feel comfortable, that's all."

The others knew exactly what she meant. There was an akward silence in the air.

Kagome sighed. "Look, Hikari, about last night... We've thought about what we're going to do."

Inuyasha wispered in her ear, "We did?" And Kagome elbowed him, which made the hanyou wince.

Sango continued for her. "We've decided to keep you with us. Even though you've helped Bankotsu before, and you probably helped him get stronger, we're still keeping you in because we need you. You might have helped the enemy once, but we figured that that won't change a thing about how we should feel about you, and... we're sorry about how we treated you the other day. So... are you going to stay?"

Hikari closed her eyes, deep in thought, and it seemed like forever had passed when she opened her eyes. She smiled at them. "I'll stay. But don't blame me if you regret the choice soon."

"LADY HIKARI!" A villager burst into the room. "We've finally found you!"

The healer inwardly groaned. _"Oh, God. Talk about ruining the moment" _"What is it now? Another demon?"

The man sook his head and smiled. "Oh, no. That's not it, we're just going to make another celebration. Since we couldn't find you last night, we decided that we're going to do it tonight."

Everyone sweat dropped. _"Please, God, not again."_

Hikari assured him, "That really isn't necessary, and we all need some rest anyways, so please-"

"Oh, no. Our ancestors would forbid it. As soon as anyone helps us out, we have to celebrate. To be honest, even I'm getting tired, but you know, tradition is tradition." And with that, the villager left them.

Everyone sighed. Myouga was just confused. "Umm... can anyone tell me what's going on?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

_**That night...**_

"I never would have expected this to get any worse." Hikari said when the elder finished his hour-long speech. This time though, the villagers didn't start suffocating them. Hikari looked at her friends. "I think I'll skip this one. Anyone wanna take a bath before they catch us?"

Kagome and Sango nodded. They ran off to the hot springs. Kirara and Shippou went after them.

Myouga had a malicious grin on his tiny face. "Well, I guess I'll have to go too. After all, they need to have someone to look after them and all, so I'll just get going..."

Before the flea could have a chance to go after the girls, Inuyasha caught him. "And just where do you think you're going? Let me remind you, they all brought their weapons with them. They'll be fine. And besides, I'm pretty sure that Hikari will sense you before you even get there. Then, you're dead."

Myouga flinched and shivered. He never wanted to face a pissed-off Hikari. He was lucky to have lived the last time he saw her mad. _"How did she get such temper? I know it's not from her mother, that's for sure."_

As if he read the flea's mind, Inuyasha asked him, "By the way, you never told us how you knew Hikari. And how come you never talked about her to us?"

Myouga looked thoughtful for a moment, until he finally spoke, "It's a very long story, but I'll try to make it short."

He took a deep breath and started his story. "It all started a long time ago. Just like you, Master Inuyasha, I knew Hikari since birth. Well, first, I knew her mother. I met Lady Michiko one day when she was in a poor village, helping the villagers and bringing hope in their hearts. Then, Lady Michiko let me tag along with her. She was a very kind woman, and very beautiful, of course. And when she had Hikari, I taught the young girl a few things, along with the help of her mother, father and... brothers."

Everyone noticed how uncomfortable the flea looked when he said 'brothers'. There was hesitation and disgust in his voice... Or was that hatred?

"Well, then, I guess that explains why seemed so comfortable with her," said Miroku. "But why didn't you tell us what you knew her?"

Myouga shrugged. "Well, the subject never really was brought up. Besides, Hikari always did like keeping her identity a secret. With her being the last of her kind, and all."

"But you told her about us, didn't you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh, come on! It couldn't be helped! She can read minds and look into someone's memories, or have you forgotten? Even if I didn't talk about you to her, she would have known everything about you just by looking into my memories!"

"Still, you should've said something about her," said Kohaku. "I'm pretty sure that Sango would have liked to know that she still had some connection with Hikari. They were close friends when they were kids, remember?"

"Okay, okay, but still! It's not my fault I never thought about that! I didn't think of anything like that!"

Miroku sighed. "Well, that doesn't change anything now." He stopped when he heard someone laughing. They turned their heads to find a few girls giggling at them.

The perverted monk cleared his throat and started walking away to the girls. "Well, while we wait, we should relax and enjoy ourselves. Who knows how long Sango will take in there. So If you need me, I'll be over with the distressed ladies."

Inuyasha, Kohaku and Shippou all sighed.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"So that's basically how I know Myouga. I also know Toutousai, and maybe a few other people you met," Hikari said when she finished her story. "Any questions?"

"Myouga never talked about you to us. Why didn't he?" Kagome asked.

"Don't blame him, I told him not to. You see, I've always liked keeping low profile, and if Myouga told you that he knew about me, how would the rest of you react? I mean, I know that Inuyasha, Shippou and you wouldn't know a lot about me," she said to Kagome, and then, she turned to Sango. "But you and Miroku, you'd probably freak and ask Myouga tons of other questions. You know what I mean?"

"That does make sense..."

"Anything else you'd like to know?"

Sango and Kagome looked at each other, and turned back to Hikari. "Well, not really..."

Hikari sighed and layed back. "In that case, let's relax. After all this fighting, I'm pretty sure I could use a nap. And I don't have any intention to go out there and get myself suffocated by party-loving villagers. I've already had enough trouble for one day."

Kagome and Sango laughed and Hikari smiled. _"I'm glad things turned out right. I was sure that they weren't going to accept me after what I did to them."_

For the next few minutes, the girls remained silent. That is, until they heard Inuyasha's loud scream. "MIROKU! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE! DON'T YOU DARE ABANDON ME WITH THESE PEOPLE!"

The girls all started giggling, and Shippou sighed. "Inuyasha can't ever stay quiet without Kagome around. But I understand why he doesn't want to be left alone."

"Anyone can understand if they've stayed in this village for too long," said Hikari. "Which reminds me, shouldn't we get going soon? We've already delt with the problem here, and there's other demons to take care of. Not to mention that we have to know who resurrected your enemies. And the only thing we found here is more trouble from the Band of Seven. Which doesn't get us any closer to our goal."

Sango blinked. "By the way, Hikari, if it doesn't bother you... Can we know what you were doing with Bankotsu back there?"

"Alright, before you ask any other questions, I'll tell you everything I did. No, I did not do anything perverted with him. And yes, Sango, I asked him questions. And only that. I tried to get more info on who resurrected him and some other stuff."

Kagome urged her to continue. "And...? What else did you find out?"

After a short moment of silence, Hikari continued, "He doesn't know who resurrected him or why. He just found himself with his brothers. And whoever brought him back to life must have been real sweet, 'cause Banryuu was in one piece again."

When she saw that her friends didn't understand the last part, she quickly explained, "In Bankotsu's last battle, Banryuu became a demonic sword, which helped Inuyasha use his Backlash Wave. Banryuu then shattered into millions of pieces, so... yeah, you know what I mean. But when Bankotsu woke up, his halberd was alright."

"Is that all you know about him?" Sango asked.

Hikari nodded. "Apparently, yes. But I do have one theory. This is just like something Naraku would do."

Kagome agreed. "That's right. Naraku knows that if he showed up to Bankotsu again, the Band of Seven wouldn't help him this time. So he might as well bring them back, and when the time comes, he'll make the Band of Seven obey him."

Shippou tilted his head. "What do you mean the right time?"

Sango explained. "Without Naraku, the Band of Seven is almost completly useless at searching for Inuyasha. They're going to need his help when they really get desperate."

"I see sense in that... But how did he find all their remains and bring them again without the jewel shards?"

"Remember, this is Naraku we're talking about," said Hikari. "If he found out a way to make his body into an overgrown spider and make incarnations of himself, which is physically impossible because he made girls, he can do anything."

Everyone nodded. "Very good point."

Kirara was getting bored, so she splashed some water onto Shippou, which made Shippou jump out of the pool and run for cover. Kirara mewled in amusement, and Shippou glared at her playfully.

"I'm going to get you for that, Kirara!"

He started chasing her around the pool. He slipped once or twice, but he quickly got up and continued his chase. Sango and Kagome giggled, and Hikari smiled again.

The young healer sighed. "Ah, youth. You have to make the best of it while it lasts."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Well, Shippou has all the time in the world to have fun. He's a fox demon, remember? And as for Kirara, she's just in her kitten form for the moment. That doesn't mean that any of them are young."

"True. But Shippou won't stay young forever. He is going to grow up one day. And by then, it'll be too late."

"Oh quit complaining," said Kagome. "Besides, we're all still young. And we have enough working bones in our body to run."

"Okay, okay. But we don't always have the same energy that they do!"

They didn't realise that Shippou and Kirara had stopped running. The two demons were listening to their conversation with interest.

There was another short moment of silence.

The demon slayer sighed, "Just a while ago, we were talking about Naraku, and now, here we are complaining about how old we are. We must be really pathetic."

Everyone bursted out laughing.

"Don't blame it on us, Shippou started it!" Kagome said when she calmed down.

Shippou defended himself, "Hey! It's not my fault! Kirara splashed me first!"

"I was just joking Shippou, don't worry. However..." The miko turned to Kirara, "He does have a point."

All eyes were on Kirara now. The demon cat was getting nervous, and before she knew it, she fell into the water. She started struggling like crazy.

Sango took her out. She teased, "You needed to feel the water someday!"

Kirara pouted and everyone laughed.

It didn't last long, though. They all stopped when they saw that Hikari wasn't listening. She was staring straight in front of her, as if there was something there.

"Hikari?"

She didn't react immediatly. She slowly turned to her friends. "I... Umm... I need to go for a moment. There's something out there that I want to see."

Kagome gasped. "Another demon? If it's another one, I swear, this village is cursed!"

Hikari shook her head. "No, don't worry. It's not much of a threat. And even if it is, I'll take care of it easily."

"But what's out there? You still haven't told us yet." Sango asked.

"I'll tell you later. Meanwhile, you should think about getting out yourselves," she said in an amused tone. "Inuyasha's getting pissed off, and it won't be long before he starts attacking Miroku."

Kagome and Sango sighed in relief. They knew that Hikari was going to be okay. When she assures people by teasing them, they knew that they could trust her.

"Don't be out too long," said Kagome when Hikari got out of the pool and started changing.

"No need to think about that. I'll be here by dusk or so. Maybe even earlier. Or maybe even later. To be honest, I don't know how long it'll take. But I will come back, that's for sure."

Sango bowed her head. "Great. Another excuse to stay here. I'm sure that Inuyasha will **love** this."

Hikari giggled. "Oh, it'll be fine. Look, I'll put a time limit; I'll be here tomorrow. Tomorrow, day or night. That good?"

When her friends nodded, she took her weapons and ran off.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Inuyasha sniffed the air and froze.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" Shippou asked when he realized that his friend wasn't doing anything.

The hanyou didn't answer. He ran off without another word and left a gust of wind behind him, which made Shippou nearly fly off. Kohaku caught him just in time.

"HEY! Watch who's behind you before you run off, you jerk!" Shippou yelled after him.

_"What's up with him?" _Kohaku wondered.

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"Stupid branches. If there's one thing I don't like about the forest, it's this." _Bankotsu thought as he struggled through the tree branches. He left his brothers back at the camp.

Ever since he met Hikari, which was yesterday, he couldn't think straight. First of all, his brothers never left him alone, since they've always had questions for him.

"What are her abilities?"

"Is she smart?"

"Is she evil?"

"How many men could she fight at once?"

"How old is she?"

Mukotsu asked that last one. He just couldn't give up on finding a bride, could he?

Just thinking about the day he had made his head spin and ache. No matter how many times he told his brothers to leave him alone, they kept on coming back. The only one who actually asked realistic questions was Renkotsu.

"So... what are we going to do know?"

_"That's true... what are going to do know?" _he thought, _"We know that Naraku's dead... and we still have Inuyasha to think about. Except without someone to track him down for us, we'll never find him. I wonder if we should really go after him... I mean, according to Hikari, Naraku might still be alive, and he's the real one we have to go against. After all, he was the one who used us, and we only ended up dying in the end."_

And when it wasn't the questions who were bothering him, it was Hikari.

Her face never left his mind. It's been six months since he didn't see her, and after all that time, he had to admit that she did get more beautiful. And he couldn't help but notice how her body changed. She had perfect curves now, and her chest grew a little bigger. Her hair grew longer, and her skin looked softer.

And her eyes. They were warmer and shone brighter than ever.

Bankotsu was completly lost in his thoughts. Whenever he thought about her, it would always be the same feeling rising up in him. He felt so much more comfortable around Hikari. Maye it was that feeling of peace when she looked at him. He was a mercenary, so of course, he was never looked at that way.

Six months...

He placed his hand on where his heart _should _be.

_"Yup, still there."_

He expected this to all just be a dream. Then again, how could you dream in hell?

He felt that if he did one wrong move, he'll wake up in the burnng flames again. He didn't start thinking that until he saw Hikari.

Bankotsu decided to clear his mind. He decided that he was going to take the night watch, but when his brothers were all asleep, he left them and went into the forest for some fresh air.

Well, that was just one reason.

He had to see Hikari again.

Although, he didn't quite know where he was going. Instead, he felt completly lost.

He froze when he saw something red flash from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned around, only to find himself staring into the trees. There was another quick flash of red, and Bankotsu turned around again.

That flash of red made Inuyasha's face come into his mind almost instantly.

He got into a defensive stance and got his weapon ready.

_"I just had to leave and try to find her, didn't I? **TRY**. There's your problem. Well **trying** doesn't help! And... "_

He looked from side to side, analysing the area for a long moment. _"Damn. If that thing wants me, why can't it just come over already? I feel like having a good fight right now."_

Like if it was on queue, that 'thing' bursted out of the trees and hit Bankotsu's right hand, where he was holding Banryuu. He was completly shocked, and lost his grip on the halberd. It fell on the floor, and before Bankotsu had a chance to grab it, the quick shadow wacked on his left side. _"Damn!"_

It was quiet again. Bankotsu knew that if he made one step to his Banryuu, the shadow would attack again. He waited for his opponent to appear. Just when he was about to get impatient, he spotted the coming at him form his right.

He was ready this time.

Before his enemy had another chance to attack, he came at it first. Bankotsu was able to deliver a blow at his opponent's right arm, just the way it did to him. He smirked, and prepared himself to hit it again.

Then, something caught him off guard.

When Bankotsu tried to hit it, the shadow dodged the attack, and punched him on his shoulder, wich made Bankotsu lose balance and fall down.

"What the-?"

Before he even had time to fininsh his sentence, he found himself looking at the dirt and pinned to the ground with his hands tied behind his back.

His opponent kept a firm grip. The mercenary couldn't even break free.

_"He didn't even give me a chance to attack!"_

The stranger hissed in his ear, "What the **hell** do** you **think you're doing here?"

* * *

**Well, this took long to finish. **

**So, if you've noticed, this took longer to update since I wanted to fix my Chap 1 first. **

******And when I wrote the scene of where the Inutachi is supposed to forgive Hikari, I tried not to make it sound so... Stupid and akward... But as you can see, I failed.**

**I've already started with Chap 6... Speaking of which, Bankotsu and his brothers should be showing up a lot more often after that chapter ;)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	7. Our Past

**Chapter 6! :D**

**Busy, busy, busy. That's all I can say. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (of course).**

**

* * *

**

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 6**

"What the **hell **do you think **you're **doing here?"

Bankotsu's eyes widened. _"Hikari!"_

Oh, he was in trouble now. He knew it, and he was getting nervous. Maybe meeting Inuyasha would have been better after all. "Hikari! Ummm... I-I didn't notice that you were following me! Now, if you'll let me go, I'll-"

Hikari tightened her grip. "Oh no you don't. Now answer my question. What. Are. You. Doing. Here. You shouldn't even be here in the first place! I thought you and your brothers left somewhere else."

"I'm going to need my arms to explain."

The healer raised a brow. "And... what for? You still have your mouth to talk. I can listen."

"Just let me go, will ya! You're going to cut off my blood circulation!"

Hikari sighed and did as he said. She crossed her arms. "So. Now for my answer."

Bankotsu glared at her and stood up. He brushed off the dust from his clothes. He looked up at her and saw that she wasn't wearing her usual kimono. She was wearing a red one.

_"Ah, so that's why..."_

"You didn't need to go so hard on me. You could have just showed up, and I could be fine with that."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. If I showed up, you probably would have jumped out of your clothes. It's so quiet here, you'd think that your own thoughts were yelling at you. Also, if I didn't go hard on you, you wouldn't have been shut up properly, and you would've beaten me up. I don't want the villagers to know that you're here."

"And besides," she added in a playful tome. "I like having to spar every once in a while."

Bankotsu snorted and walked over to Banryuu. He picked it up. "Still, just calling to me could have been good."

"Whatever. Now are you going to tell what you're doing here or not?"

"I'm not."

Hikari groaned. "Bankotsu..."

"I said that I'm not going to, so I'm not!"

"You know that I can just look into your memories for that. Would you like me to do that instead?"

Bankotsu stiffened. If she looked into his memories, she'll know exactly what he was feeling. How he felt desperate, and how he felt empty after finding out that she was hanging with Inuyasha. She would know that he was lonely, and that he needed her comfort. He'd sound like a little kid looking for his mother. How pathetic.

His back was to her, but Hikari could tell that he was blushing. "Alright, alright!"

She smiled.

And he blurted everything out. "I was just... I... I just had to see you again, okay? I was getting bored, and I had to do something, so I decided to look for you. I couldn't stand all the stuff going through my head ever since I came back to life, so I need some answers! Since Naraku's dead, maybe I can go after Inuyasha, but... _you're _with them! And my brothers are going to complain to me if I really **don't** go after Inuyasha! So-"

He stopped when he felt Hikari's hand on his own. He didn't realise that she was right next to him until then. Her voice was soft. "Bankotsu, calm down. I only needed to hear to first part of your long speech. You can keep the rest in."

Bankotsu took a deep breath and turned to look at her. They both stared at each other's eyes.

Finally, Hikari spoke in a soothing voice. "You said you needed some answers. What did you mean by that?"

Bankotsu looked confused for a moment, until he finally remembered. "Ummm... Not much... It was just... something."

"Okay, fine. So I won't ask you about that. Is there anything else you want to know?"

The young mercenary looked thoughtful. But in the end, he shook his head.

"Then I think you should leave."

His eyes widened and he shook her hand off. "What? Wha-what do you mean I should-"

Hikari's hand clamped his mouth **(AN: She does that a lot, doesn't she?).** When he seemed to have finally relaxed, she let him go. Her eyes were sad, and she looked away. "You know that we can't see each other the way we used to before. Everything's different now."

Bankotsu retorted, "That's not true. We can still see each other, even if it is different. I'll try to follow you, and we'll meet together some place so that-"

"You know that that won't work either. Even if you do follow me, Inuyasha will smell you, and he'll immediatly go after you. And unlike before, you **have** to stay with your brothers this time if you don't want to get seperated."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but he thought of what she said and closed it. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew that she was right. Now that she's traveling with the Inutachi, and that he doesn't work for Naraku anymore, there's no way they'll ever have time to see each other. The only time they'll actually meet each other is in a battle.

He growled. "Great. So now we can't even talk to each other. I come back to life only to figure out that I'll never be able to see you again."

Hikari tried her best to calm him down. She took his hand again. This time, with a better grip and a warmer touch. "It's not that I don't want to be with you anymore. If things were easier, I'd do anything to be with you and to stay by your side. But if we keep on seeing each other like this, your brothers will be suspicious, and I'll probably get kicked out of Inuyasha's group. Which means that I'll never find out if Naraku's dead or alive."

Bankotsu sighed, knowing that it was useless to argue with her. Neither of them said anything.

"Well, even if we can't be together anymore... can't we just... stay together for tonight?" he suddenly said.

Hikari thought about it for a while, and she finally responded, "I guess... that one night wouldn't hurt anybody... Do your brothers know where you are?"

He shook his head and she smiled. "Then I guess that I'm free to."

He smirked and placed an arm around her shoulder. "That means that we have the whole night... Just the two of us... Alone."

She shook off his arm. "Hey, whoa. Don't get any naughty ideas, there."

Bankotsu laughed and Hikari giggled soon after.

"Oh yeah, by the way..." said Hikari, "You should really practice how to hide your aura - and scent."

He was confused. "Why should I? I'm fine the way I am."

She groaned. She couldn't tell which one was stupider when it came to this kind of stuff. Inuyasha, or Bankotsu? "Are you serious? What if I was Inuyasha instead?"

Banotsu snorted. "Inuyasha wouldn't be able to pin me down the way you did."

"Yes, but he could have slashed your head off instead of having a friendly spar with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, the important thing is he didn't. He didn't show up and he's not here. That's that."

"Alright, fine. But I still think that you need training."

There was a gleam in Bankotsu's eyes. "Well, then, why don't we start right now?"

That same gleam was refelcted in hers. She smiled and reached out for one of her blades behind her back. "You wanna take the first move?"

He shrugged and got Banryuu ready. "Since you're a women, I'll let you take the advantage. I've been feeeling a lot stronger recently, even better than the time I had my jewel shards. And Banryuu's a demonic sword now, so I clearly have the upper hand. I'll try to go easy on you."

"That over-confidence of yours still hasn't changed," Hikari sighed. "You might have a demonic blade..." She pulled out her twin swords and continued, "But I have _two_."

And with that, she jumped back and charged at him. She threw her fire blade at him, and Bankotsu dodged it. He came at her, and their blades clashed.

Hikari lifted her water blade and brought it down, but Bankotsu got out of the way. He tried to deliver a blow at her side, and Hikari blocked it. This went on and on for a while, and neither of them seemed to get tired.

Bankotsu spotted the fire blade coming at him from behind, and jumped out of the way. Hikari caught her blade and fired it at him again. This time, though, Bankotsu didn't dodge it. He stopped the blade with Banryuu and threw it back at Hikari.

"It seems that you've gotten a little better at this kind of stuff," Hikari said with a smile on her face.

Bankotsu smirked. "You know it."

Hikari caught her blade and and Bankotsu got ready for another attack. But she didn't move.

All of a sudden, the ground started to shake furiously. He was shocked, but he didn't stay on the ground too long. He quickly jumped onto a tree branch before the giant spike which emmerged from the earth could pearce him into two.

"Hey!" He yelled, "You never used your powers when we trained!"

Hikari winked, "Oh, come on. I want to see how much you've grown stronger."

Bankotsu blinked. And then, he smirked. "So I'm guessing that you want me to come at you with full force."

The smile she gave him clearly answered his question.

The tree which Bankotsu was on stated moving, and he jumped off. The moment he layed foot on the ground, Hikari's fire blade was going to his neck. It barely missed its target by an inch. Bankotsu froze in complete shock.

"If I didn't miss on purpose, you would've been killed," Hikari sighed. Her fire blade flew at her and she caught it with ease. "You have to concentrate harder."

The young mercenary nodded and went at her again. He brought down his Banryuu and Hikari blocked the attack by placing her two blades in the way of an X (her two blades crossed), with Banryuu falling into the little gap between the blades **(AN: Sorry if this might be a little confusing)**. She pushed him away and went for his right side.

Their weapons clashed, and they stood there, waiting for the other to let go.

In the end, Hikari was weakest in strengh, and she had to give up on staying any longer in that position. She jumped back before Bankotsu could hit her, and threw a blade at him.

Bankotsu was ready and dodged the sword. The ground trembled again. Whenever he jumped off the area he was on, and whenever he looked back, there would be giant mass of earth which tried to crush him from behind.

And all of a sudden, everything stopped. The ground stood still once more and Bankotsu stopped running. He looked at Hikari to make sure that this wasn't a trick to fool him. But she was placing her swords back into their sheathes.

She stretched her arms. "I think that's enough for today."

"What?" Bankotsu exclaimed. "But that was so short!"

"If we make any more noise, we're sure to get attention one way or another. And if either of us get a scar from sparring, our friends will start asking questions in the morning. And Inuyasha can catch your scent any moment."

He snorted and rested Banryuu over his shoulder. "That pathetic excuse of a half demon probably doesn't even remember my scent. I smelled of graveyard dirt before, but now I have a different scent. And I'm sure that he's too busy with those villagers to even notice."

Hikari closed her eyes and he waited for her to open them before asking, "Am I right?"

She giggled and Bankotsu looked confused. "Well, you got a part of it right."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" Kagome called.

"Where could he have gone?" She looked around only to see villagers and more lights.

And then, she saw a big pack of men in a circle. They seemed like as if they were... cheering someone. Kagome walked over to see what the commotion was about and almost froze there looking like an idiot because of what she saw.

Inuyasha was sitting in the center of the gang. He was chocking down a whole bunch of food. The other villagers were passing him more and more food, and strangely, Inuyasha accepted anything he could get his hands on.

Kagome decided to get serious and pushed through the crowd to get to Inuyasha. "Sorry! Coming through! Excuse me!"

Finally, when she was close enough to her friend, she yelled, "Inuyasha! What do you think you're doing?"

The half demon stopped eating and looked up. "Oh, hey Kagome!"

And then he looked down at what he was eating, and looked back at her. "Want some?"

"Never mind that! What are you doing? We were worried and we looked for you everywhere!"

"Well, you found me now!"

"Inuyasha..."

He shrugged. "It's not my fault if I haven't eaten since forever! Its scent brought me here and I started eating before you."

Kagome groaned. "Yeah, but can't you eat in private or something? You could've at least told us where you were. Anyways, it's just to tell you that we might be staying here a little while longer."

"Huh? Why?"

"Hikari went off somewhere becasue she sensed something. She said that she might come back tomorow, but she doesn't know when. So we're stuck here until she gets back."

"As long as she gets back and doesn't stay away for too long, I'm fine with it. Now if you don't mind, I'll go back to eating."

Kagome sighed. Apparently, it seemed that her friend was too busy stuffing his mouth with food to even think about the situation they were in.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu rolled his eyes, "I won't even ask."

There was a deep silence in the air.

"So... what now?" Bankotsu asked after another moment of silence.

Hikari looked up at the sky. "I don't know..."

An idea popped into her head. _"We can't spar with swords, but..." _

Bankotsu turned to look at her and saw a malicious grin on her face. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, what's-"

He didn't get a chance to finish because Hikari pinned him down. Bankotsu's eyes widened in shock. Then, he saw her laughing. "Gottcha!"

"Ah, so that's how you want it, huh?" He growled playfuly.

He twined his leg around hers and twisted her body to her side. Hikari yelped as she landed on the rough floor. She was now lying on the ground with Bankotsu above her.

"Hah! Who's 'gottcha' now?"

Hikari smiled challengingly. "You dare challenge me? Who will win, I wonder?"

And now, she entwined both his arms and his legs with hers and turned him around. They continued wrestling and rolling in the grass, and as they went on, they accidentaly tumbled over a little hill. Now they were rolling down uncontrollably, but they laughed all the way through.

And finally, they stopped rolling and landed on the ground with a little thud. Hikari shook her head to jerk off the dust from her hair. When she opened her eyes, she found herself...

... lying on Bankotsu's chest.

At the same time, Bankotsu got his mind back from the dizziness and felt something hot on his upper body. He looked up and saw Hikari's blushing face. Although he didn't see it completly, it was obvious that she was embarassed of the current position they were in.

Hikari didn't move and Bankotsu smirked. He placed his arms behind his head. "You planning on staying there for long? Am I really _that_ comfortable to you?"

She blushed even harder. She jumped off and turned her back to him. "Oh please, I just stayed there because I was shocked. The whole thing was an accident."

The mercenary snickered. "You say that, but you're still blushing."

"Just drop it already!"

Bankotsu laughed. Hikari sighed and gazed at the starry sky. Bankotsu stopped laughing and looked at up at her. She had a soft smile on her face and her eyes reflected the bright light of the stars.

She sat down next to Bankotsu and rested his head on her lap. He didn't complain. Hikari continued looking up. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "Well, you know me, I've never really been a nature lover."

Hikari giggled. "But I can't help but notice how the stars shine brighter tonight."

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, they 'shine brighter'? They don't like they've changed much, if you ask me."

"Oh, that's right! I haven't told you about it, have I?"

"About what?"

Hikari took a deap breath and started her story. "My mother once told me that when a kind-hearted human passes on, the body is left behind on Earth to rest. And as for the soul, it flies up to the sky, and becomes a star."

He raised a brow. "Is that so?"

She nodded. "But just like humans, they need a place to stay. And that certain place... is the moon. When all stars finally meet, they celebrate the arrival of their new friend and dance around their little home."

"Also," she continued, "Even though they live in the sky, the souls are still looking down on us, and it's told that when they're happy for someone, they shine brighter just for them."

Bankotsu snorted. "That's crazy. Stars can't shine brighter just because they're happy for someone. And how can a star be the soul of a human? That's impossible! Otherwise, there would be thousands of'em!"

Strangely, Hikari didn't protest. In fact, she smiled. "I know, right? But... it's still a nice thing to believe in. Especially if you're a kid. It kinda gives you hope, don't you think?"

"Hope of what?"

"That when someone you truly loves dies, you know that you're not alone. They might not be alive and next to us, but they're still looking over us."

Bankotsu didn't say anything. He understood what she meant. After the massacre of her village, Hikari was still just a kid. And she was left alone. She can't possibly count the many times she looked up to the sky, searching for the right soul. The one which belonged to her mother.

Hikari took out her flute and started playing a song. The sound of her melody echoed in the forest, the grass danced in the wind, and the moon and stars shone through the darkness of the night. The soft whistling of the trees soothened both of their souls.

Bankotsu closed his eyes. His mindd drifted to a far away place. The past.

**_FLASHBACK_**

"This place makes me sick," Bankotsu complained.

He and Hikari were walking in the small forest next to Mount Hakurei. Bankotsu had to wait there until Naraku's bugs get to him and inform him about his orders. Hikari rolled her eyes. "Whining about it won't do anything. Mount Hakurei isn't a living thing. It's not its fault if this area is so pure."

Bankotsu snorted, but didn't say anything else. "Besides, it could've worse," Hikari continued.

He didn't disagree with that. "There's tons of other things that could've been worse than this. Like death, for example. That's one."

She laughed. "Good point. But you could be _inside_ of mountain instead of being outside."

"And that's two. Alright, so it can be much worse. But I'd still prefer being as far as possible from here."

"Too bad that's not the case," Bankotsu sighed. "It would have been so much better just to be free and not work for Naraku. But I'm a man of my word. I can't get away unless I kill Inuyasha and avenge my brothers."

"I've been thinking about it for a while now..." Hikari said after a moment.

Bankotsu's confused look made her continue, "When you finally get what you want, what will you do? It's not like you can go back to being a real mercenary and getting jobs from the warlords. Most of them are aware of the existence about the Band of Seven now. There's no way that you'll ever get them to pay you."

He seemed deep in thought. "I haven't thought about it much..." Then, he got an idea. "Maybe you can join the rest of us."

Hikari's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

Bankotsu jumped at her reaction. "Well, yeah. Since you're traveling alone, maybe you can just stay with me, Jakotsu, and Renkotsu. You can help us restore the band."

Hikari shook her head. "You know that's it'll never work. Your brothers don't even know my existence, and when they hear that you've been keeping secrets from them, they'll be shocked. Not only that, but they'll hate me to death. We already know how Renkotsu feels about your power, and who knows how Jakotsu will react to having a _woman_ in his team."

Inwardly, she added, _"And you know that Naraku will never let go of you until he has your jewel shards."_

He frowned. "But what else can I do? I can't just settle down in some tiny village and live happily ever after. That's pathetic! I need something more than just that. I need some excitement in my life. I became a mercenary for a reason, Hikari. I live to kill, and I fight for pleasure. So tell me, what do you think I should do?"

And then, something complelty unexpected happened.

Hikari pushed him to the ground with her elbow. She laughed.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?"

"Oh, please. Lighten up. I just said that joining you was a bad idea. I didn't ask for others. We'll find something to do somehow."

Bankotsu stood back up, but didn't say anything. And now, it was his turn.

He pushed her the same way she did to him. She fell down and glared at him. Bankotsu laughed at her expression. "That was payback for taking me by surprise."

Hikari stood up and shook off the dust on her clothes. And then, she elbowed his chest. Hard. "Jerk. You're not supposed to get revenge at a woman like that."

Bankotsu dropped Banryuu, clung to his chest and said, "I'm able to get revenge on_ you_. You're not soft and weak like the other woman, so I'm making you an exception."

He expected her to argue, but she didn't answer. She wasn't looking at him. She was staring at Mount Hakurei.

_"Searching for auras, I suppose," _he guessed.

When she finished her searching, she seemed pretty shocked. She turned to Bankotsu. Somehow, there was regret and sadness in her eyes. Bankotsu prayed that what she saw wasn't what he think she just saw.

"Well? What's going on? What happened?"

Hikari hesitated before telling him. "... It's... Jakotsu... I can't... feel any life in him."

Bankotsu immediatly clenched his fist. He never would've thought that it would happen like this. No- it wasn't supposed to happen. He lost his brothers. And his best friend. Even if one of them is still alive, he knew that he can never call him his brother again. _"Damn it! Damn it all!" _

Hikari refused to look into his eyes. "I'm sorry."

He did his best to keep himself from killing a tree. Which would probably be useless. He growled, "Was it Renkotsu?"

When Hikari looked away, he already knew his answer. It was so easy to guess what she was going to say. "Is he close?"

She answered, "He's coming down the mountain."

Bankotsu picked up his halberd and started walking away to Mount Hakurei. He didn't look back.

"Where are you going?" Hikari asked from behind.

Bankotsu took a deep breath and explained in a calm voice. "Where else? I'm going to kill Renkotsu. And on my way there, I'll have to kill Inuyasha as well. Once Naraku's insects spot me, there's no way I'm getting back here without acomplishing my goal."

The L. Healer tried to stop him. "You don't _have_ to go."

He whipped around and his eyes went wide. "What? What do you expect me to do? I have to avenge my brothers!"

"Even if you do kill Inuyasha, Naraku will never get you out of there alive. And whether Renkotsu is dead or alive, you won't have any of your brothers left with you. If he's still alive, you might be able to make him give you the jewel shards, and find a way to survive."

Bankotsu snickered in disgust. "That'll never work. Renkotsu is the type who would never let down his guard. And he's so confident that he'll get what he wants. He thinks he's so much more superior to me. He'll never cooperate after I'm done with him."

"And besides," he added, "He isn't my brother anymore. I don't care whether he dies or not. It's just like the death of my other comrades. One more won't kill me."

Hikari'e eyes filled with pity. _"You say that, Bankotsu... But your eyes tell me something else."_

He expected her to try to hold him back again, but she just sighed. "Then I guess I can't stop you from doing what you want. Even of I do try to stop you, I know that it'll be useless. So I won't hold you back."

She thought that he was going to die. Bankotsu could simply hear it from the sound of her tone.

He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look, it's not like I'm going for a suicide mission. I'll be able to kill Inuyasha, and I will get out of there alive. As soon as that's done, I'll try to find you, and we'll try to kill Naraku."

Seeing that Hikari still wans't convinced, he sighed. He looked at her straight in the eyes, and he spoke in a soft and reassuring tone. "I'll come back."

Hikari looked away, but Bankotsu brought her gaze back to him by taking both of her shoulders in his hands. "This is wierd coming from me, and you'll just hear this from me once in your life. I'm making you a promise."

Hikari sighed again. And this time, she smiled. "Then... I guess that... I'll have to wait."

He smiled too. He pulled her closer and Hikari's expression changed from soft to startled. She took a tiny step back, but he followed her movement. His hands came down to her waist and she blushed. His face came closer and closer to hers, and she was completly frozen.

She looked into his eyes. It was that look again. She have seen it far too many times to not recognise it. It was the same look some men would give her before trying to kiss her. And whenever she saw those eyes, she would always push them away.

But somehow, this time, she couldn't move an inch.

She could've sworn that her cheeks were on fire when his lips came in contact with hers. _"Bankotsu...!" _

She didn't know what to do. Obviously because she never really let a man kiss her before. After losing so many tears to the death of her village, she never wanted to face a broken heart again. No matter what the situation was. A voice kept on ringing in her head not to let go, but a different voice wanted her to run away.

Finally, she gave up. She couldn't escape from what she really wanted. She closed her eyes and placed her arms around his neck. She deepened the kiss and realxed.

Bankotsu was surprised, but he didn't show it. He was just about to open his eyes to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, but he didn't. He expected her to push him away and leave. But she didn't. He didn't know why she stayed, but he didn't really care about that right now. _"I'd better make the best of it while it lasts... I never know if I'll have another chance like this." _The pain he felt from Mount Hakurei disapeared and was replaced with a warm feeling of comfort.

They wanted to forget everything. Forget that Bankotsu was a mercenary and that he was working for Naraku. Forget that Hikari should be attacking and trying to kill him. Forget that they were supposed to be enemies in the first place.

They wanted to forget everything. For a moment.

Just a moment.

Bankotsu pulled away and looked into her eyes. He smirked. "Is that enough to convince you that I'll be back? If it wasn't, I can always try again, if you want me to."

Hikari blushed, which only made Bankotsu's smirk widenen. "T-that won't be necessary."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded and he took a little step back. He picked up his halberd and spoke to her again. "I'll kill Renkotsu first, and when that's done, I'll go after Inuyasha. Until then, you might want to stay away from here."

"I can take care of myself just fine," she retorted.

"I know that, but you're never too sure if there's trouble."

Hikari sighed and smiled. They jumped as they heard a loud roar from the demons coming out from the mountain. She spoke in a nervous tone, "Well... I guess... that you'd better get going."

Bankotsu nodded. "Right."

He turned around and looked over his shoulder. "I'll see ya later!" She smiled again and waved. With that done, he walked away and left her alone. He couldn't help but think about that smile she gave him.

He knew Hikari fall too well to say that that was a real smile. But he couldn't tell what she was trying to hide behind her expression. Somehow... he thought that he saw guilt and sadness.

Hikari waited for him to disapear from her sight before walking away in the opposite direction. She refused to cry. After her family's death, she swore that she would never cry over anything or anyone. Crying was only a sign of weakness.

_"Bankotsu... There was a certain reason why I said 'when you finally get what you want'. I wasn't referring to your vengeance. I hoped that you changed your goal, that you gave up on avenging your fallen brothers."_

_"Unless you turn back, there's no way you'll survive. You'll be killed like the rest of your brothers, and... I'll never see you again. I... I wish... Bankotsu, please, just **please**, come back. Don't die. Especially not now. Not when I've finally realized what I feel for you."_

She felt something wet slide down her cheek. Her hand came up to her face and touched her cheek. A raindrop? Was it raining? Everything was just fine a moment ago. She looked up to the sky.

But there wasn't a cloud in sight.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

"That never gets old," Bankotsu sighed and closed both of his eyes when Hikari finished playing her song. "But why that song? You have tons of others."

"Why not this song?" Hikari replied.

Bankotsu opened one of his eyes. "I'm just curious why you would chose that one out of all the others."

"The title of the song is Stars of The Moon. Now do you see why I chose that specific one?"

And he closed his eyes again. "Ah."

Hikari sounded annoyed. "**Ah**? I just told you something that meant a lot to me, and all you can say is '**Ah**'?"

"It means that much to you?"

"The song does! It's the first song my mother taught me when I was young."

He suddenly a feeling of guilt in his stomach. "Oh. Sorry."

"Sorry? All you can say is-"

That's it. The guilt vanished. "Will you shut up for a moment? I'm trying to sleep down here!"

She laughed and placed her hand on his. "You should've fallen asleep when I was playing. That's one of the main reasons why my flute was made."

He yawned. "Whatever."

Hikari watched him fall asleep soundlessly. He looked so innocent and peaceful. Whenever he selpt, she found it hard to believe that he was a heartless mercenary in his past. This was how she wanted every night to be. The beautiful moon and the peaceful atmosphere was enough to make her happy.

She warmly smiled at Bankotsu's sleeping form. The humming of the forest seemed like as if it was singing her a lullaby, and eventually, she fell fast asleep.

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_Early next morning..._**

"Hey."

Bankotsu felt something puching his side and he groaned. He knew what was going on and he didn't want to get up. But Hikari kept on poking him. "Bankotsu, I know you're awake. We need to join our friends if we don't want to get screwed!"

Seeing that he still won't respond, she sighed. "Then I guess I have no choice."

A second later, Bankotsu felt something hot on his lips and his eyes immediatly flew open. Almost as soon as he got up, Hikari's lips got off. He stared at Hikari and pouted. "Why did you stop?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're lucky enough that I didn't push you into the river like I would have done to Inuyasha. Like I said, I don't want to wake up the whole village or it might cause a real pain."

"That still doesn't answer my question."

Hikari sighed. This is how he always wanted it. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. It didn't last very long, but it was enough to let Bankotsu kiss her back. When they broke apart, she asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

He smirked. "Maybe... I might want to feel that one more time, just to make sure that I'm fully awake."

She pulled up her sleeves. They didn't have any time for this! "In the river is it, then. Do you want the water to come to you, or do you want me to take you there?"

"N-neither! I'm awake now! I'm awake!"

Hikari smiled. "Good."

He sighed in relief. She never kid about this kind of stuff. Wise of him to not provoke her any further.

Standing up, she said, "Everyone's still asleep. We've got about half and hour before they wake up. If we're lucky, we might actually make it long before they wake up. But I think that my friends will have to wait a while."

"Why is that?" He asked curiously.

"If Inuyasha smells your scent on me, I'm dead. I need to wash your scent away before I go back. In other words, I need to take a bath."

Bankotsu stood up as naughty images appeared in his mind. Hikari didn't dare look into his thoughts to see what he was imagining. The dreamy look he had was enough to send make her look away in disgust. He smirked. "Mind if I join you? You might need help to wash your back or your-"

Before he can say anything else, he found himself with a big bump on his head. "**OW! **Dammit, that hurt!"

He heard her mumble, "Don't even _try_ to convince me."

Bankotsu grumbled and took his Banryuu which wasn't too far from him. He ran his hand over it and made sure that it wasn't harmed in any way. He couldn't find a scratch on it. _"And that's how I love it."_

"Daydreaming again I see."

He turned around to see Hikari who was making sure that she didn't forget anything. "How long are you going to stay there, admiring your halberd for probably the hundredth time?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "It's not my fault if it's so beautiful."

She sighed and turned around slightly. "Well, I have to get going. Like I said, there's a river nearby, so I guess I'll use that to wash away the scent. You're going to go off to that direction if you want to meet your brothers," she said as she pointed to her left.

He nodded. "Right. See you later then!"

Hikari inwardly smiled. Wasn't that what the same thing he said on Mount Hakurei, when she would last see him?

The only difference is that, this time, she was sure that they would see each other again.

As he walked away, she called to him, "Oh yeah! Bankotsu!"

He turned around and blinked. "What's up?"

The warm smile she gave him surprised him. "About last night... I really needed a time to relax. And I enjoyed our time together. So... thanks."

He smiled back. "No problem."

_"And I'm sure I enjoyed it as much as you did."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Big Brother! Where were you?"

As soon as his leader entered the clearing, Jakotsu demanded some answers. If his brother left killing Inuyasha without him, he is dead! Not that he can actually kill him, though. Maybe giving him the silent treatment is enough.

"I went out for a little air," Bankotsu said, almost sounding bored. "So! What's for breakfast?"

At that moment, Suikotsu and Renkotsu came in with a few rabbits and more meat. "We've caught a few fishes too," said Suikotsu as he held up his prey in pride.

Renkotsu growled. "The stupid slimy creatures were damn difficult to get, so I hope no one's going to complain about them."

He got the fire ready as Jakotsu and Suikotsu cut most of the food in pieces. The other rabbits weren't cut and were kept whole, since those were reserved for Kyoukotsu, who needed more than just a few slices of meat to be satisfy his huge gut (which might probably be useless by now, since it's almost completly slashed out).

"By the way, have you decided what our next move will be?" Jakotsu asked Bankotsu while he ate.

The leader almost spat out what he was eating in his brother's face. He didn't think about that yet. And when he mentions that he was going out for fresh air before, they probably thought that he was thinking of plans the whole time. If they ever heard that he spent time with Hikari, he can kiss his leader ass goodbye. Worse, Renkotsu might as well take over. Everyone was staring at him intently and he felt the nervousness in him increasing every second.

He tried to make his voice sound steady and thoughtful. "Well..."

Oh, he was in big trouble.

Buddah must have heard his plea, because Kyoukotsu started coughing violently, and everyone turned to look at him. Okay, so Buddah made Bankotsu happy and glad that the attention wasn't on him anymore, but Kyoukotsu surely wasn't.

He got his idea, and he cleared his throat so that the attention went back to him. "We're going to have to move slowly. Since Kyoukotsu's injured, we can't go after Inuyasha immediatly. We'll see what we can do, and when we're okay, we'll go after him."

Most of the band grunted and went back to eating.

When they all finished, they started packing up. Bankotsu was already finished, since he didn't have much to take. Renkotsu walked up to him and whispered, "We need to talk."

Bankotsu was surprised at how serious his voice sounded. And he didn't feel like talking to the traitor of the band right now. But since he had nothing to do, he might as well listen to what his second in command had to say. "Alright, but make it quick. Everyone else is going to be finished soon."

Renkotsu made sure that no one was listening to them and spoke, "We have a big problem."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari streatched her arms as she stepped out of the river. Sure, she was freezing, but the feel of the cold water on her skin comforted her. People would think that she was crazy, going in there in the morning. But she can _control_ water, so it didn't matter to her whether it was hot or cold. It almost felt like air to her.

She wore her kimono and picked up her blades. The kimono wasn't hers, and it wasn't as comfortable as the other one, but it was better than the others she saw. Her other kimono needed to be cleaned, and the woman of the villae volunteered on helping her. It should be dry by now.

She ran to the village and rushed to the little hut her friends were staying, all the while nodding to some villagers who passed by. When she arrived, the tiny temple seemed somewhat different. It looked much better than before, that was for sure. She sensed Kagome's aura and went inside.

"Hey! I'm back!"

When she entered the room, she was greeted with a very strange silence. Everyone was there, it's just that they weren't doing anything. Kagome was thinking of something to do, Sango was waving a little piece of string at Kirara who was playing with it eagerly, Shippou was sleeping and Kohaku was looking out into space. Inuyasha and Miroku were nowhere to be found.

"Umm... Is everything alright?"

Everyone jumped at her voice. "Oh! Hikari! You're back," Sango greeted her.

_"So it's now that they notice me..." _Hikari thought. "Well, you guys look like you're having fun. Mind if I play with that piece of string with you, Kirara?" she teased.

Kagome smiled. "We're not that desperate, don't worry. We just didn't know what to do while you were gone. The party last night was enough to wipe us all out. Inuyasha had a bellyache, and it took me everything to make him stop whining. 'Sitting' him a few dozen times worked."

Hikari looked around. "Speaking of which, where is he? Did Miroku go with him or something?"

"They went searching for you not long ago," said Kohaku.

"And we lost Myouga yesterday night," said Shippou, who was now awake.

Hikari sighed. "Well, then, I guess I'll go search for them."

She looked for their auras and found them at the entrance of the village. Inuyasha must have followed her scent. Wait until he finds out that he searched for her for nothing. She saw Inuyasha getting back up and running to them and Miroku followed behind him.

"I guess there's no need for me to go." Looking at her friend's confused glances, she smiled. "You'll see soon enough. But right now, let's start getting ready to leave. Inuyasha's already going to be a pissed dog when he finds out that I'm here. Let's try not to make him feel more upset by being too slow."

With that said, everyone hoped onto their feet and got ready. Hikari changed out of the red kimono and wore her blue one.

Inuyasha bursted into the room, panting heavily, annoyance written all over his face. Miroku was behind him, but he was too busy catching his breath to be annoyed at Hikari right now. The half demon yelled, "Hikari! You... You..."

She looked at him with innocent eyes. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't give me that look! What took ya so long? When did you arrive here?"

"A few minutes ago, actually. Not long before you two left, it seems. Didn't you know that I was leaving?" She eyed Kagome and Sango suspiciously. "Did you tell them?"

Kagome and Sango nodded. Kagome said, "Inuyasha was so busy eating food that he probably didn't care about what he heard. Or how important it was." She glanced at Inuyasha. He looked pretty confused.

"You did?"

"Yes, I did! You were just concentrating too much on the food that you ignored what I said!"

Hikari looked at Sango and Miroku, waiting for their answer. She can already guess what the excuse was.

"Miroku was telling all the young woman in the village how wonderful their future looks by asking them if they want to bear their children, of course. Nothing special, really, just the usual, but it looks like he didn't hear me."

"I did hear you, Sango! It's just that I needed to acompany Inuyasha to make sure that he won't be lonely."

"That 'acompanying' cost you half of the breath you needed for today," Shippou mumbled.

Hikari sighed. This is how she found men wierd. They couldn't even take a moment of their time to listen to the nice words their friends had to say! "Never mind that, let's get ready to get out of here before another random demon shows up. Most of us are already ready, so there's only Inuyasha and Miroku who need to pack up."

As soon as they got out of their hut, they were surounded by villagers. Some were crying, and some were just annoying them with questions.

"Where are you going?"

"Please, you can't leave!"

"What if another demon shows up?"

Inuyasha bursted out, "QUIET!"

Everyone immediatly shut their mouthes and froze. In a calmer tone, Inuyasha said, "We can't stay here forever to protect you. There are other people who need help, and we have to find out why the demons are reacting the way they are."

"He's right," said Kagome, "We've done our work here, so we have to leave. We didn't sense any demonic aura for the past few days, so you'll be fine on your own."

The elder stepped foward. "But what if something as great as the water demons come?"

"Do not worry, about that. I am sure that Miroku can place a few sutras around the area so you can be safe," Hikari assured. "Isn't that right, Miroku?" She turned to the monk and gave him a glare that clearly said 'If you turn them down, I'll make sure that you never beautiful girls the same way again'.

Miroku understood the message and gulped. "Of c-course! I will start right away!"

And with that, he ran off with a few villagers at his heels. While he placed the sutras and prayed, the other members of the Inutachi said their goodbyes. Inuyasha, Kagome and Sango spoke with the leader and a few of the other elders. Kohaku and Shippou were talking with a few kids.

"Will you come back to see us?" A little girl asked.

"Sure we will," Kohaku said (lied). _"Even though we might come back in ten years or so." _

That's how it always ended. Whenever demon slayers visited a small village like this, they can't guarantee that they'll ever come back. And after the other hundred villages they've been in, how can they remember all these faces?

Shippou wasn't paying much attention to the kids. Kohaku noticed this. "Hey, Shippou, what's wrong?"

The fox demon jumped. "Oh! Sorry. I was just... wondering where Myouga went. He shouldn't have gone too far, after only one night."

Kohaku rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that that flea ran away to find some other people to boss around."

A little voice came from Shippou's tail. "Hey! I'm bossing anyone around!"

Shippou shook his tail and Myouga landed on his hand. "So you were here all this time, weren't you?"

"I was sleeping! I needed a place to stay! I couldn't just sleep on the hard floor where anyone can step on me at any moment!"

Hikari was talking with a few children too. But she was a little bit further from her friends, and nobody really seemed to notice her. A little girl was crying. Hikari patted her head and said in a soft tone, "There, there. I may be leaving, but you shouldn't cry over something like that."

The girl started crying even more. "But that's just it! I don't want you to leave! I want you to stay here!"

Hikari brushed away her little tears and gave her a warm smile. "I know that neither of you do. But I have to go and help other people. I can't stay with you forever and abandon my friends. Tell you what, I'll visit you one day and we'll have enough time to play, alright?"

The girl sniffled. "Promise?"

The warm gaze she gave the children never left. "Promise."

Each of the other kids around her gave Hikari a big hug, accompanied with lost of tears and sniffling. Hikari tried to calm them down. "Alright, that's enough crying, now."

By the time Miroku was finished doing his job, the Inutachi was already gathered at the entrance of the village and waiting for him.

"Placing the sutras was going to take more time than I thought," Miroku puffed. "They wanted to be positive that everything was going to be safe."

Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever. Now let's get out of here."

The Inutachi waved the villagers goodbye and continued heading south. The sun was shining and the wind blew softly.

"Ah, what a great day for traveling," said Myouga, who sat on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Trees slowly swaying, not a cloud in the sky and the wind isn't blowing me away. Wonderful whether indeed."

Inuyasha turned to Myouga and exclaimed, eyes wide, "Wha-? When did you get here?"

Alright, Myouga was tired of being ignored now. "I was here ever since the moment you left the village! Is it really that hard to notice me? You can smell me, can't you?"

The half demon rolled his eyes. "You know exactly why we don't notice you." And putting that aside, he turned to Hikari. "By the way, Hikari, you were acting pretty nice with those kids back there. I thought you hated kids."

She looked a little shocked. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you didn't react very nicely to when we said that you'd take care of the eel demon," said Miroku.

Hikari calmed down. "Oh, that. Just because I said that I didn't like the eel doesn't mean that I don't like kids. I just said that it was really annoying."

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_Later that night..._**

"We're going to camp out here for tonight!" Inuyasha announced as they came into a halt. Kagome got off his back and started taking out some food from her bag as the others went to her side.

Shippou jumped onto her shoulder. "What did you bring today Kagome?"

Kagome frowned. "There isn't much food left... There's only five bowls of ramen..."

"Say no more," Hikari said before she can continue. "I'll look for my own food. You guys eat up, I'll find something to eat."

The young miko protested, "B-but that not fair! Hikari, you-"

Hikari cut her off again and winked at her. "Hey, I'm survived in the wild for two years without anyone's help or care. Maybe Myouga's, but you know, he's useless. I'll be fine. Besides, I sense some rabbits and a river nearby, so it's shouldn't be long to get some meat. I'll be back before you know it."

She knew that her friends would try to protest again, but she didn't give them a chance. She ran into the forest and followed the aura of her prey.

She really didn't care about going out on her own. It wasn't that she hated Kagome's food - she abosolutely loved it - but the feeling of wind in her face made her feel free and alive. The trees looked like nothing but a distant blur when she was running. It made her feel powerful.

Hikari froze when she saw a swift movement running past her. The moment she stood still, something tackled her from her side and was pulled into a bush. She knew that screaming wouldn't do her any good. All that she could blurt out was a "What the-?"

Her captor held her arms back to that she couldn't use them. She didn't struggle though. She knew who it was just by detecting his aura. She whispered, "What do you want, Bankotsu?"

When he realesed his grip on her, she turned to look at him. "This had better be good. Can't you see that I'm trying to find something to eat? And this really isn't the moment to talk! Especially with Inuyasha and everyone else around!"

He snorted. "Don't worry about that. I hid my scent and my aura to make sure that they won't smell or sense me."

He was right. A few minutes ago, she couldn't feel anything, but when he tackled her, she was able to feel his aura. But just for a few moments. He hid his aura as soon as she reconised him. "What are you doing here? Are you following me around? "

"... Maybe. But that's not what I came here for."

"Then spit it out already!"

He hesitated. He was constantly shifting his eyes from her to some other place. His voice sounded nervous too. "So... um... How's it going?"

Hikari groaned. Is this what this was about? He can't be serious! "If you aren't going to tell me, I'm leaving. I don't feel like looking into your thoughts right now."

She stood up, but he pulled her back down. He said in a an urgent tone, "I'll just get to the point!"

She knew that it was important now. Bankotsu never reacted this way around her. In fact, he never reacted this way. He was always so calm and acted light hearted, no matter what the situation.

When her eyes softened, and Bankotsu continued. He took a deep breath, and Hikari was surprised at how shaky his voice sounded. "It's Kyoukotsu... He's dying."

* * *

**Do****es this thing have to many sentence errors? I think so. Well, I work in french most of the time, so it can't be helped.**

**So, apparently, I'm not that good when it comes to romantic scenes. Or battle scenes. But I'll try to get better. If you have any advice, plz tell me. :)**

**I've noticed that I use the... umm.. verb 'to sweat drop' most of the time (maybe not in this chapter, but other ones). I know that it sounds wierd, but it's just to show that the caracters get a little drop of sweat coming down their cheek, forehead, etc. **

**At first, I thought that I'd be able to continue this a little longer and add some more scenes of the Shichinintai, but it seems that I've passed _my_ limit. So, hopefully, there will be more of them in the next chapter. :)**

**Review plz~! :D**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	8. Disappearance

**Hurrah for the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer (this is getting annoying...) : I do not on Inuyasha. **

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 7**

Hikari's eyes widened. She knew that Kyoukotsu was injured badly, but she never would have thought that he might be dying. His wound wasn't **that **bad, was it? She searched for Kyoukotsu's aura to make sure.

She gasped at what she felt.

Bankotsu was right. Kyoukotsu was dying. His breathing was getting shallow, and his body tempature was burning up. It won't be long before his body freezes completly.

The enormous gash on his chest muct have been infected for days now. It was one of the worse infections Hikari had ever felt coming from a human body. The blood stopped pouring from his wound, but his face was pale with the loss of a huge amount of blood.

The pain was too great. Hikari refused to search any more and opened her eyes. She understood why Bankotsu felt so troubled now. Last time he was alive, he never met all of his brothers in person. They just kept in touch by Naraku's insects. But now, they're traveling in a group.

He can't lose them all so all, there's a reason why he called them his 'brothers'.

Hikari shook her head to clear her mind. It was already enought that the wound _felt _horrible. She can't imagine how it _looks _like right now. When she calmed down, she said, "I see what you mean. What do you want me to do then?"

Bankotsu gave her a 'Are you serious?' look. "I want you to heal him, of course!"

"You might be asking too much," she warned. "I can treat the infection and give him some medicine, but there's no guarantee that he might be able to fight again."

"I know that he'll be able to fight again. We chose him to join us because he's strong! If you heal him, he'll be fine."

She shook her head. "You're putting too much confidence in me. What if I fail? He isn't a demon, so he can't heal super quick. Yes, you chose him because he was strong, but you know that he was the first one to die because he was the weakest_ in your group_."

He didn't protest beacause he knew that she was right. But he didn't give up. He knew that she would succeed. After everything he's seen her do, he didn't believe that she can fail. "Okay, so that's true. But remember, we're stronger now. If you help him, he's sure to survive. I know that you can heal him."

Hikari frowned and looked down. She wasn't sure of what to do. How can she possibly help a member of the Band of Seven? She could heal Bankotsu since he was lying right in front of her and alone, but... Kyoukotsu took different to a whole new level for her. First of all, **he was huge, **so the wound will be difficult to reach. Second, she was going to be surrounded by all the members of the Shichinnintai. Surrounded by their glares.

"I don't know if it's going to work, though..." she said in a hesitating voice. "Just think about it. How will your brothers react when they see me? And I can't just leave Inuyasha and the others saying that 'I've felt something nearby' again!"

When she meant his brothers, she meant Jakotsu and Mukotsu, of course.

"Oh, come on! I'm on my knees, here!" He begged, which was very unlike him.

She hesitated again. Finally, she made up her mind. "Fine," she said softly.

Bankotsu's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

She repeated, a little louder, "Fine. But I'm not going to enjoy this. You're going to owe me big time when this is over."

He fought the urge to give her a giant bear hug. If he did hug her, she'd surely think that he'd lost his mind and gone crazy. So instead, he smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"I'm not going with you right now, though. Inuyasha might suspect something if I don't go soon. I'll look for your aura and I'll meet you a little south from here tomorow, since that's the way we're moving. We're going to have to hunt tomorow, so we'll probably need to split up too. That might be when I'll meet up with you. If that doesn't work, I'll have to find some other way to get to you."

He nodded and said, "That's fine. Thanks again."

Before standing up to leave, he asked, "Should I tell them that's you're coming over to help Kyoukotsu?"

She flinched. She hadn't thought of that yet, but maybe the choise was for the best. "You're probably going to have to let them know. When they see me, they have to know that it's not because Inuyasha is close, and it's not to kill me either."

"Good point."

She stood up. "I have to get going. I'm going to have to find something to eat and get back to the others. I'll see you tomorow."

Bankotsu smiled. "Right."

"Bankotsu?"

"What?"

"You owe me big time."

He smiled. "I know."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Hey! Hihari!" Inuyasha yelled with his mouth full of ramen noodles. "Wha' da hatch?"

The L. Healer emerged from the trees and raised a brow and smiled. "Excuse me? I didn't hatch anything, Inuyasha. I don't speak 'mouth full' language, so I can't understand you very well."

Inuyasha gulped everything down and repeated, "What did you catch?"

She help up six slimy fishes proudly in the air and winked at Kagome. "Told ya I can take care of myself."

The miko stuttered, "I-I n-never said that you wouldn't be okay! I-I just said that it wasn't fair that..."

"Anyways, it doesn't matter right now," said Hikari. She looked over to the tiny circle of rocks to from the camp fire. "I'm guessing you guys already finished eating?"

The others nodded and Sango said, "The fire didn't last very long, though, so the water was a little cold."

"I see," said Hikari, "Well then, I'll just need to make the fire again for my fish. And yes, Kagome, I know that you have a 'ligh-ter', but I'm saving you some trouble here, so please don't complain. Besides, the only thing we need to do is make it bigger, right?"

Kagome nodded. "Okay, then."

The healer smiled. She streached her arm towards the little sparks of fire and, as expected, the little source of warmth grew to a flamme. It started getting bigger and bigger, before it completly stopped growing.

Hikari grabbed a stick lying beside her and picerced a fish with it. "So who wants fish with their noodles?"

Shippou raised his hand and exclaimed, "Ooh, me! I want some!"

Kirara mewled in agreement and Hikari smiled. "That's two. Anyone else?"

"I'll share mine with Kirara," Myouga said as he jumped off Shippou's tail.

Hikari nodded and glaced at Inuyasha and felt his aura. He was hesitating. She smiled maliciously and waved a fish-on-a-stick at him. In a teasong tone, she said, "Come on, doggy. You know you want it."

Inuyasha flinched. He could've spilled his bowl of ramen if he weren't clinging on it so tightly. His eye twitched. He had a 'what the hell?' look on his face. "D... D... Doggy?"

Everyone laughed. Oh, how they loved the expression on his face. The healer calmed down and said, "So I'm taking that as a 'no'?"

The half demon quickly shook his head. "That's not what I said! I'm just asking why you gave me such a pathetic nickname!" And under his breath, he mumbled, "And yes, I wanted a fish. 'Doggy' just caught me off guard."

Hikari heard him clearly and grinned. "Okay, so that's four people sharing three fishes. I'm guessing that none of you want any?" she asked her three human friends. They shook their heads as Hikari stuck the rest of the fishes on other sticks.

After a while, Hikari announced, "It's ready!"

Shippou jumped onto her shoulder, and then, next to a fish. "Oh, boy! Doesn't it look yummy, Kirara?"

Kirara hopped to his side and sniffed at the food curiously. She pulled away from it and mewled happily. Shippou reached out for one fo the fishes and handed it to the cat demon. She took a bite out of it and mewled again.

"It is good, isn't it?" Shippou asked. "Let's see..."

He streatched his tiny arm towards a fish, but Inuyasha was faster. He got it before him and took a bite out of it. The little fox demon yelled at him, "Hey! That's mine!"

Inuyasha snorted. "There's three more, so what does this make a difference?"

"I was going to get it first! You knew that it was mine, and you took it! There's a word called respect, you know!"

"I know that. But when was the last time you ever showed _me _respect?"

"But I'm still a little kid! I can still do whatever I want!"

"What was that?" Inuyasha punched the kid's head. "I'd like to hear you say that one more time!"

"Kagome! Inuyasha hit me again!"

"Inuyasha..."

He froze. _"Uh oh."_

"SIT!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_The next morning..._**

Hikari woke up faster than the others. Their auras told her that they were still asleep, and since she didn't have anything else to do, she decided to get breakfeast. She tiptoed her way away from her friends and made sure that she didn't wake anybody up.

It took her a while to get some food since nothing was really out yet. The rabbits were all in their holes, the fish all hid in the shadows and the edible demons were kept out of sight. Hikari could sense every single one of them, but she couldn't go too far away.

She tried to keep focus on searching for her prey, but there was one thing on her mind that kept distracting her.

Kyoukotsu and his wounds.

She couldn't help but smile lightly at the fact that Kohaku could damage someone as huge as Kyoukotsu so easily. But as soon as she thought of that injury, her smile fadded like it came.

Today was the day that she'd meet the other memebers of the Band of Seven face to face. The last time she saw them, they were glaring at her, so she didn't consider that 'face to face'. In fact, she was pretty sure that the meeting coming up later in the day wasn't going to be any different than from before.

Those injuries...

Why did it bother her so much?

Kyoukotsu was human. If he survived out of this, he was lucky. That gash was already infected, and the infection was spreading through the man's body. She had never seen anything this horrible.

Sure, there were a few times that she'd seen worse, like heads slashed off and arms cut to pieces, but... The feeling of Kyoukotsu's sick aura was killing her.

She hated to see people suffer. She couldn't stand it. Hearing the cries of agony was enough to make her close her eyes and prey for everything to all just be a dream. Seeing people die in front of her made her suffer even more.

She was a legendary healer. She was made to heal and protect all those who are weak and who neeed help. Except... If they just let a person die without going to their maximum, there's no way that they're going to forgive themsleves.

So what if Kyoukotsu died? What would she do then? The Shichinintai would only hate her even more, and they wouldn't hesitate to try to kill her. They would blame his death on her. And...

_"Bankotsu..."_

What about him? How will he react when Kyoukotsu dies? Will he ever speak to her again? Will she be considered as an enemy? She imagined his pained expression once he finds out that his brother died. So many emotions were writen in his eyes: regret, sadness, fury, hatred...

She could never bear the thought of that. So...

What if she really did fail?

_"I know that you can heal him."_

His words suddenly rang into her head. She inwardly smiled. _"That's right. He trusts me." _

_"I can't let him down after telling him that I'll heal him. He's counting on me..."_

She looked into the trees and spotted when she saw a few particular leaves. She walked over to them and picked them up. _"These leaves are nice and fresh... which means that there should be some other herbs nearby..."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"We're going to rest here for a while," Bankotsu announced to his brothers.

"Huh? But we already took a break a two hours ago," said Jakotsu.

"Yes, I know, but there's something that we need to talk about," the leader replied as he sat down on the grass. The others followed him and sat down as well.

"So, what do you want to tell us?" Renkotsu asked when they were settled down.

Bankotsu took a deep breath. He knew that this was going to be hard, but it was for the best... right? He wasn't too sure. Maybe he could tell Kyoukotsu of Hikari's arrival and leave the rest of his brothers out of this.

But it was too late now. They were all looking at him questioningly. Ever since the day they discovered that he had a close relationship with that woman, they kept their distances from their leader. Even Jakotsu, who was Bankotsu's closest friend, never talked to him the way they used to before.

If Bankotsu turned away now, he'll just look like a freak. He thought about the words he was going to use wisely before saying, "You all know that we can't go into battle with Kyoukotsu injured like this."

Kyoukotsu opened his mouth to object, but all that came out was a whimper of pain. He said almost immediatly after, "I'm fine."

The leader raised a brow. "You think so? Don't try to deny it. That cut is getting uglier and uglier every day."

The giant snorted and looked away. After a moment, Suikotsu asked, "So what are we going to do about it? If this goes on, he'll never be able to fight again. Did you decide how we should deal with him?"

Bankotsu shook his head. When Suikotsu meant 'deal with him' he really meant 'DEAL WITH HIM'. It's either kill him for being such a weakling, or abandon him. But Bankotsu would never do that, of course. As long as his comrades were loyal to him, he was going to take care of them.

_"This is it,"_ he thought, _"I'm going to have to blurt out the truth sooner or later."_

"No, we won't deal anything with him. But there might be a way for him to recover."

They all stared at him wide-eyed. But Kyoukotsu's eyes were the biggest. They could have shot right out of his head.

Renkotsu still had his suspicions, and he wasn't sure if the answer he was going to get was going to be good. "And what may that be?"

Bankotsu knew that he was going to be the first one to question him. Questioning his judgement was a perfect way to steal his leadership. He smirked, trying his best to seal away the look of panic that might come up any minute. "We're going to take Hikari and she's going to heal him. It's as simple as that."

Long moment of silence.

And then Jakotsu yelled, "WHAT? That woman? You can't possibly be serious?"

Suikotsu frowned. "Big Brother, just wondering, what makes you think that she might be usefull?"

"Oh, yes, that's right, I haven't told you that she was a legendary healer, have I?" he replied, always trying to keep his calm.

"No, but I don't see why that would make much difference. Even if she was a legendary healer, wouldn't it be best to find some other healer? Or maybe a priestess?"

Bankotsu shook his head in disappointement. "A priestess won't be able to do a thing on him. Besides, they'll know immediatly that there's something wrong with us. What we really need is a legendary healer. But apparently, Hikari is the last of her kind. She's the only chance we've got."

The Shichinintai's eyes widened slightly. Ginkotsu, who stayed silent this whole time, asked, "Last of her kind?"

"Yes. The legendary healers have all been killed by demons six years ago. She's the only one who survived and who lived to tell about it. If you ask me, she's the only one who has to right skills to heal Kyoukotsu."

Renkotsu frowned and placed his hand on his chin to concentrate. "In that case, we've really got no choice, do we? It's either Kyoukotsu dies and we go on, or we let the girl try to heal him."

"The first option won't be tolerated," Bankotsu swore. "It's already bad enough that we've all died twice. Dying a third time after living for a few days won't happen."

There was another long moment of silence, until Renkotsu said, "So... are we going to capture the girl?"

Bankotsu was a little shocked that his second in command, out of all the other members of the band, took it so easily. He decided to put his suspicions aside... for the moment. "No. She decided to come herself. I had a talk with her last night. She said that she'd come today. The sooner, the better."

"If the girl is coming, then that means that Inuyasha might be nearby, does it not?" Mukotsu asked.

Everyone saw Jakotsu's eyes light up for a moment. But Bankotsu ruined his moment. "Yes, it means that he's close, but we aren't going to kill him," he said, putting emphesis on the 'aren't' and 'kill'. "Is that understood, Jakotsu?"

The cross dresser frowned and pouted. "Fine."

"Anyway, she's coming sometime in the day. And she's coming alone. I don't want to see anyone trying to kill her, and even if you try to, you won't stand a chance. No one goes near her without my permission. Is that clear?"

The rest of the members all nodded.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari observed the sky. The sun was right above the Inutachi's heads.

_"It's noon..." _she noticed.

She'll have to get going soon. She doesn't know how long the Shichinintai members can wait for her, but she can guess that their patience won't last longer than three hours. She looked over to her friends walking in front of her. They were all chatting happily, talking about the times they had when they were in different villages and places.

Hikari smiled. _"If only I can have times like that... Being careless and free..."_

She was a little furter than the others. She didn't want to bother anyone by searching for auras every ten minutes or so. She made sure that the Band of Seven was keeping their distances and that they were far enough so that Inuyasha couldn't catch their scents. They were doing a good job so far.

"Hey, Hikari!"

She jumped when she heard Kagome's voice. Her friends were all staring at her. "Why are you so behind? Come on, the next village is only a few more kilometers away!"

The L. Healer smiled. "Sorry. I was just a little distracted."

Then, looking behind her and before turning to them again, she added, "You guys go on ahead, I'm just going to take a walk for a while."

Sango looked worried. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about me. I can easily follow your auras to find you. I'll join you in a few hours. No- maybe minutes."

She ran into the forest, leaving the Inutachi behind her. She was heading straight for the Shichinintai.

"Why does she always leave like that?" asked Miroku.

"Hikari's never been very comfortable around so many people for such a long time," Myouga explained. "She needs a little bit of space from time to time. I think we should leave her be. Trust me, she can react very badly when she isn't alone for some time."

"Well, she should get used to it," Inuyasha grumbled. "She's part of the team now, and she's going to have to stay with us, even if she doesn't feel comfortable with the idea."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari ran, but not too quickly. She thought about how she was going to show up in front of the Band of Seven. She couldn't just go up to them and say, "Hey! I'm here help you!" or "How's it going? Things getting any better?"

Ha ha ha. No.

She wasn't eager with the idea of having to be surrounded by the Shichinintai or having to meet them. When she looked into Bankotsu's memories, sure, his brothers were pretty nice with him, but she knew how they really were.

She doesn't know how they're going to react when they see her, but she can tell that they won't apreciate her presence one bit. Especially Jakotsu. She just hoped that they would ignore her and forget about her while she was there.

Jakotsu would _probably _do a good job at doing that, but she wasn't sure.

She stopped running and looked at the sky. The sun that was once there disapperared and was replaced by grey clouds. It was going to rain. That just made her worry even more. _"Let's hope that they also have shelter. Otherwise, I'll have to make a giant roof of earth while I treat Kyoukotsu."_

But the rain also gave her an advantage. _"At least the dry herbs will get wet and they'll clean Kyoukotsu's wound. That way, I can treat it properly."_

She started walking and she mumbled, "As long as he doesn't move around like an idiot like Bankotsu does when I try to help him."

The first time she treated Bankotsu (and the first time she met him), he was fine. But after that, when they started training, and when he got a few cuts or bruises, he refused to be healed because of his strong belief on the Shikon jewel shards.

"'I'll be perfectly fine as long as I have the jewel shards!' he says," she said, ironicly immitating his voice. And then, she spoke with her own voice, "Jewel shards, my ass!"

She never really liked or was interested in the jewel shards. It brought nothing but sadness and trouble, and whenever she found a jewel shard, she'd give it to someone she deeply trusted. But somehow, in the end, all the jewel shards were found in Naraku's hands.

Hikari stopped on her tracks. The Shichinintai was only a few meters in front of her. She heard Suikotsu's voice, "Dammit. There's nothing to do!"

"And there won't be anything to do until the girl gets here," Ginkotsu boomed.

"Actually, there still won't be anything to do when she gets here," said Mukotsu. "Except maybe admire her looks from certain angles."

Hikari stiffened. She wanted to burst out of there and slap the old man for having such a perverted idea. But she knew better than that. And judging by Bankotsu's aura, he also felt like slapping him for trying to touch his woman.

"Don't even try," Bankotsu warned. He was doing his best to control his voice and to not make it sound too posessif. "She'll won't hesitate to kill you if she spots you looking at her chest or any other parts of other body." And he smirked, "I would know."

She blushed furiously. She was surprised that the band members didn't spot her red figure in the trees. _"No... He wouldn't dare..."_

Renkotsu raised a brow. "Oh? Have you already tried?"

The leader's smirk widened. "Oh, yeah. Of course I did. Tons of times."

His brothers (execpt Jakotsu) suddenly got very interested in the conversation. "Since we won't have a chance to take a peek, may we have some details?" Mukotsu asked in a malicious tone. Just because they were all mercenaries didn't mean that they weren't curious of women's bodies.

Bankots chuckled. "Ah, where should I start? The curves first? Or maybe her slender arms? Should I leave her beautiful chest for last?" His brothers were chuckling.

Hikari couldn't stay hidden any longer. Within two fast jumps, she knocked Bankotsu on his head before he can add anything to the humiliating conversation.

It took him a while to register what was going on, and the next thing he knew, Hikari was grabbing him by his collar and was shaking him violently. "**What the hell do you think you're telling them?**" she yelled.

Bankotsu blinked a few times and pulled himself together. He stopped her from shaking him any longer, and yelled back, "Is that your way to greet someone?"

"It's the way I greet someone when they're talking about my body!"

"They were interested, so I was going to tell them! Does it really matter that much if I told them how beautiful you are?"

"It's called 'privacy'! What, just beacuse I'm your woman, you can tell your brothers every single detail of my chest? Go on ahead and tell them how my lips feel when I kiss you while you're at it!"

"When I said that you were beautiful, it's supposed to be a compliment!"

"Then couldn't you keep all that 'beautiful' thing inside for yourself?"

"Look, like I said, they were curious, and I'm being honest with them! Besides, it's okay to talk about women's bodies once in a while when men are bored."

"What was that? I dare you to say that again, you pervert!"

All that time, the Shichinintai brothers stared in shock. They were surprised about the girl's sudden appearance and of course, her outburst. She was yelling at their leader without getting killed. And the worst part is that Bankotsu didn't look like he wanted to kill her.

They didn't know what to do.

"Umm... uhhh... hey," Ginkotsu mumbled as the their leader and the girl continued bickering. "Should we... I don't know... Stop them from fighting?"

"They're going to have to stop one day or another," said Suikotsu. "So... Who wants to step in front of them?"

Nobody answered. None of them dared to go near them and interupt them. One of the two might as well kill them if they interupted.

Finally, being the good second in command he is, Renkotsu decided to intervene and called, "Big Brother!"

"What?" his leader snapped.

Hikari whipped around to face the Band of Seven with the same gleam of annoyance in her eyes, but then, she remembered who she was dealing with. All the irritation in her gaze vanished and her face turned red. _"Oh, shit."_

Bankotsu seemed to have remebered what was happening too. He looked at Hikari, and then back to his brothers. _"Oh... Oops."_

"I guess I'll start the introductions, then," he said after a moment of silence. He cleared his throat. He adressed to his brothers and said, "Everyone, this is Hikari." And then, turning to the women, he said, "Hikari, this is Renkotsu, Suikotsu, Ginkotsu, Mukotsu-"

"Ha ha. Very funny," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "You don't need to go on with the list. I already know their names."

"Alright, so since the introdution is already done, let's get to work, shall we?"

About two minutes later, Hikari was looking at Kyoukotsu's wounds. The others were either looking at her doing her work or doing nothing at all. Nobody wanted to go near Hikari or bother her in fear of having to be yelled at like the way she cussed at Bankotsu.

Bankotsu and his other five brothers sat a few meters away from Hikari and Kyoukotsu.

"So," Bankotsu started a conversation. "What do you think of her so far?"

Jakotsu snorted. "She's just like any other women. I don't see what's so special about her."

"I agree," said Renkotsu. "Aside from the fact that she's a legendary healer, there isn't much that we can say. She also wields demonic swords, but I don't see how that's interesting. You yourself have a demonic sword about double your size, Big Brother!"

"Oh, you'll see how special she is soon," his leader smirked. "But really, what do you think of her?"

Everyone stayed quiet. Mukotsu's lustfilled eyes already told what he was going to say. "She's very attractive, that I can assure you."

The leader inwardly goraned. "Yes, but other than that."

Jakotsu crossed his arms. "Well, what do you want us to say? We've only known her for like three minutes, and nobody talked to her. And nobody _wants_ to talk to her! And what makes you ask that question in particular?"

Bankotsu didn't argue with that. They were finally getting on to him. He's been waiting for his brothers to meet Hikari ever since she came back to his life again, and he's been wondering of what they would think of her. From the very beginning, he wanted Hikari to join the Band of Seven. But so far, it seems that his plan of 'getting along' isn't going well.

"She's got some guts in her to yell at you, I'll give her that much," Suikotsu said since nobody added anything. "That's one thing you don't see every day in a woman."

Bankotsu inwardly sighed in relief. There's still hope. "Oh, she's like that sometimes when people annoy her."

None of them added anything else. Bankotsu decided to add something to the conversation. "Have I ever told you about her abilities?"

All eyes were on him now. Their curious looks answered his question. This is just what he wanted. "There is a certain why I trained with her."

He continued, "As you know, she has demonic swords, and she can use demonic attacks that can blow you away. And she can control water, fire, and earth just by touching them. But there's something else about her... something inhumanly possible. She can sense human and demonic auras from miles away and know what they're feeling. She can read anyone's mind and look into their memories and soul."

Renkotsu's eyes widened and he jumped up. "That can't be possible! She surely couldn't get that ability from her demonic blades, so where could she have gotten it from?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "Hikari herself doesn't know. She said that she was born with that power and that neither of her parents had such a power either."

The second in command sat back down and calmed down. He was worried. If Hikari could really tell their pasts and what they're thinking, he could say goodbye to all his plans. _"She's an interesting one... But I'd better keep my eyes on her, just to be on the safe side..."_

Now, let's get back to Hikari, shall we?

During that time, Hikari was observing Kyoutsu's wound. Her eyes widened when she saw the gash in his chest from close. The flesh around the cut looked as if it was spreading wider and wider, and the dry blood around it wasn't helping it recover either. She should have expected this, so why was she so shocked?

She frowned and bit her bottom lip. "This may take a little longer than I thought," she said more to herself than to the others around her.

She ran her hands over the giant chest, feeling the damage's aura from close. She almost jerked her hands off when she felt it. _"This is bad... Kohaku's weapon slashed out a few things fom the inside... If this keeps up any longer, the other parts of his body will be affected from this too... Well, first things first..."_

She pulled out her water blade and placed it horizontaly next to the wound. It lightly brushed against Kyoukotsu's chest, but she didn't cut him.

Jakotsu saw this sudden act and his eyes widened. He jumped to his feet and yelled, "What do you think you're doing?"

His brothers turned around to see what he was raging at and they saw Hikari armed with her blade near Kyoukotsu. Most of the brothers looked at their older brother to see if he looked perfectly calm or if he was going to say that everything was fine, but he seemed just as surprised and shocked as they were.

Hikari didn't pay attention to them. She focused on what she had to do and closed her eyes. "**Dragon's Cry.**"

As she spoke those words, she slashed off a few pieces of skin from Kyoukotsu's wound. Everyone expected the giant to roar in pain, but nothing happened. They suspected that Kyoukotsu was dead, but then they saw him lift his head and look around, wondering of what happened.

"Wha... what did you... do?" Bankotsu stuttered.

Hikari slowly turned around. "It's something I've been doing for only a while now. **Dragon's Cry **isn't a battle technique, but a healing technique. It can purify any poison or infection in a body. My water blade may be a demonic sword, but **Dragon's Cry **is made from the healing powers of a demon." And looking at her blade, she added, "I haven't completly mastered it yet, so I couldn't purify the infection completly."

Everyone relaxed and sat back down.

The L. Healer continued, "And even if a little bit of the infection is gone, I still have to treat the wound so that it recovers to its natural state." She sheathed her sword back and looked over the injury again. She pulled out a piece of cloth and some herbs.

She took the leaves and squeezed them until lqiuid came out. She made sure that the liquid landed on the cloth and when it was all used up, she held the towel over the giant's chest. She warned, "This might sting a little."

When she pressed the towel on his chest, Kyoukotsu's eyes shot open and he yelled out in pain. His large hand tried to swat Hikari away, but he missed since Hikari jumped out of the way as soon as he started yelling. The Shichinintai memebers stared in shock.

"What is that thing?" Kyoukotsu roared.

"This 'thing' is going to help you get better," Hikari said as if it was obvious. "Just endure the pain."

"Don't even come near me!"

"Kyoukotsu..." Bankotsu groaned. "Do as she says. Trust me, she knows what's best for you."

The giant growled but didn't argue. "Just make it quick."

Hikari sighed and walked to him again. She did the same thing as she did before and she saw Kyoukotsu wince once or twice, but that was it_. "It's amazing how Bankotsu can control bloodthristy people so easily," _she thought. _"Then again, there's a reason why he became their leader, isn't there?"_

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari wiped the sweat off her forehead. The sky was getting darker and the sun was slowly disappearing from the horizon. _"Turns out that it didn't rain after all... Too bad, though. I can use a little rain to cool me down. I'm pooped... I can't wait 'till I get to the village Inuyasha and the others are staying in. I reall need some girls to talk to."_

When she was working, she felt the men's eyes on her back the whole time. But their looks weren't filled with hostility, but with curiousity. But that didn't stop them from being a little suspicious of what she really was inside. _"Sure, they weren't glaring at me," _she thought, _"But I would have appreciated that they stopped looking at me!"_

One time, she caught Mukotsu staring at her. His gaze was running over her body like a hungry predator stalking his prey. It made her shiver in disgust and want to run away. His eyes went down from her shoulders to her graceful back and to her-

"Excuse me." The old man jumped when he heard her annoyed voice.

Hikari slowly, very slowly, turned around to give him a death look accompanied by a scary smile. "I'd like it if you stopped staring at my body now, if you don't mind."

Mukotsu froze and nodded so fast that he thought that his head was going to fall off. _"How can a woman have such a hostile look towards someone!"_

The L. Healer sighed. _"Well, at least I'll be leaving soon." _

She looked at the slepping giant next to her. _"Thank Buddah he finally got to sleep. I don't know what I would have done if he continued complaining and screeching any longer." _

The other memebers of the Shichinintai left to get some food or water. They were going to eat soon, and Hikari wanted to leave as soon as possible if she didn't want to eat with them. She looked around her quickly before walking away to the forest without a sound. And then...

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Hikari jumped. She whipped aroun to face the leader of the band of mercenaries. "Don't sneak up on me like that! I know that I can try to sense you, but seriously! You know how I look when I'm sensing someone or not!"

Bankotsu raised a brow. He sighed. "Just tell me where you're going."

"You already know. I'm leaving. I've finished my job here."

He walked up to her side. "Let me walk you back."

The girl glared at him. "Not a chance."

"Just for a little while?"

His pleading eyes made her give in. She sighed. "Fine. But just for a while."

He grinned at his easy victory. Hikari started walking away and he followed. They didn't say anything, until Bankotsu broke the silence. "So... How's Kyoukotsu doing?"

The girl sighed. Somehow, she knew that he was going to ask that. And she knew that she shouldn't lie to him. "I'll tell you the truth... He isn't going well. I checked everything, and trust me, you only see those kind of signs when someone is going to die."

Bankotsu hid his surprise well. Hikari might have sensed it, but it didn't seem that she had noticed. "You're saying that he might die?"

She shook her head, eyes filling with sadness and doubt. Sadness for failing him, and doubt for her abilities. "This is what I've been trying to warn you about. And even if Kyoukotsu survives this, that scar will never leave him and stay that way for the rest of his life."

"Having a tiny scar is better than losing the life of a human."

"True. But that's not what's bothering me," she stopped walking, turned around and looked straight into his eyes. "Bankotsu," she explained slowly, "I'm not the one who's going to save Kyoukotsu's life. I'm only here to help him to survive the hard times. But he makes the final decision. There are two things that he needs if he wants to live."

"First," she continued, "The will of his body and soul is important. I'm talking about how strong he is, on the outside _and_ the inside. If he doesn't have the will to continued any further, he's done for, and I can't do anything about it."

"I'm sure that he wants to live as much as everyone else does," Bankotsu said without any doubt in his voice.

"I know that. But it's the second thing that might cause a problem." She paused. "He needs to trust me. If he doesn't trust me, he'll think that what I'm doing is useless. He thinks that my work will kill him instead of heal him. If he doesn't have any confidence in me, he'll lose all hope of living, resulting to the downfall of the first point."

Bankotsu frowned. What she said was true. Kyoukotsu wasn't the type to trust people so easily, he knew that more than anyone. "Then what can we do?"

Hikari shook her head again. "I can't do anything, and neither can you. Kyoukotsu is the only onw who can decide if he trusts me or not."

After a small moment of silence, the mercenary said, "Other than that, is there anything else I should know?"

She didn't answer immediatly. "I think that's about it. I might need to come back tomorow to check if he got better, though. Judging by the damage that has been caused, it's going to take more than three days for him to get better."

Bankotsu grinned when she said that she needed to come back. Hikari noticed it, and, trying to wipe that stupid smile off his face, she added, "But I might be too far to get to you. And I might need to stay with Inuyasha. Who knows, maybe a demon would appear and attack us, or we might find some clue of what's making the demons so much stronger..."

His expression still didn't fall. He knew that it was all an act. "I knew that I could count on you."

He ran off with the same grin and Hikari sighed. But soon after, she smiled. _"Bankotsu... You're always so sure that what I do is right... And you're always looking on the bright side of things... I think that's what I like most about you... But..."_

Her smiled vanished. She followed her friends' auras and took off. _"What happens... if everything I do... is useless?"_

*O*~*O*~*O*

As 'promised', Hikari visited the Band of Seven the day after that, and the day after that, until she ended up visiting them every day. However, the relationship between the Shichinintai and Hikari hasn't much changed than from the first day they met. They kept staring at her or ignoring her, and they never talked to her.

The Inutachi didn't bother asking her where she went, because she'd always come back to them. She made up for the time she was gone by doing them a favor or making them diner, and nobody suspected her of anything. They continued chasing after demons and looking for other demons who might give them some information about what's making them stronger. All tey got as an answer was a fight and cuts.

Hikari and the Band of Seven were never too far from each other. The Inutachi would move to the south, and they'd move to the south too. Only the Band of Seven were keeping a far enough distance between the two groups so that Inuyasha couldn't smell them.

Hikari kept doing the same things every day. But even with all her efforts, Kyoukotsu didn't get any better. In fact, he just got worse. And Hikari couldn't do anything about it.

And then came that day...

It was early in the morning when Hikari woke up. She just couldn't get to sleep. Nobody else in the tiny village was awake. She smiled when she saw all her friends sleeping peacefully next to her. The day before, they got into a pretty nasty fight, and everyone was tired.

She closed her eyes and explored the auras around her. The children were sleeping soundlesslly next to their siblings and some men were already outside harvesting some vegetables. _"Everything looks fine. Let's see if there are any demons nearby."_

She went further and further until she got into the forest. Everything looked quiet and calm there too.

Her mind suddenly drifted to the Shichinintai. She tried to go to the place she last visited them. Luckily, they weren't too far for her to not feel them. _"Looks like they're sleeping too. Maybe I just woke up a little too early."_

The auras were all asleep. She recognised each one of them; Renkotsu's aura was 'sharp', Jakotsu's was soft yet 'spiky' of some sort, Mukotsu's was easy to know since he was old, Suikotsu's was dark and somewhat light at the same time, Ginkotsus' was the most wierdest, Bankotsu was... Well, Hikari was just too familiar with his to say that it's unknown. And Kyoukotsu's was...

...

...

Hikari's eyes shot open in shock.

_"No."_

_"Oh, no." _

In a split second she was outside and running as fast as she could to the mercenaries. Some men asked her where she was going, but they were almost blown away by the wind Hikari left behind her when she ran. She knew that she was being rude, but her mind was somewhere else.

_"Please, for once, just tell me that my sensing was wrong..."_

This may be the second time she's ever felt this afraid in her life. She didn't understand why she was so shocked. She should've known that this would happen.

She got to the group faster than she thought. When she spotted them, she rushed to Kyoukots's side and ran her fingers over his body. As soon as she felt the contact on her skin, her hand bolted off him.

His body was freezing cold.

Hikari stood frozen in shock. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her heart didn't feel like it was beating. And yet, it shouldn't be hers that felt that way. She placed her hand on his large chest and felt for any pulsation.

There were none.

She looked up to the giant's face. It was as white as snow. She felt his aura, searching in vain for any sign of life that might remain. But she couldn't sense any.

Bankotsu groaned as he felt a gust of wind passing by him. He slowly opened his eyes to see that the sun wasn't completly up in the sky_. "Damn. If it isn't time to wake up, then don't wake me up at all!"_

He looked around. Then, he saw Hikari. _"Wait. What's she doing here?"_

If he didn't know better, he would have said that she was visiting him just to see him. He streatched his arms, stood up and walked to her side. He may have had enough energy to stand up and talk to her, but he was still drowsy with sleep. "Hey, Hikari! Whatcha doin' here?"

Hikari didn't say anything. She didn't pay any attention to him and stared at Kyoukotsu's unmoving body. She knew that she had to get out of there before his other brothers wake up, but her feet were stuck to the ground. Her mind swirled with so many things that it made her dizzy. What should she do now? Run away? Stay and tell the truth when everyone wakes up?

Even when Bankotsu placed his hand on her shoulder, she didn't react. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Hikari? Hello? Hey!"

This time, Hikari responded. The voice she used didn't sound like her at all. Her usual calm and soft tone was quiet and shaking. He could bearly make out what she was saying. "Bankotsu..."

Her voice surprised him. He knew that this was urgent, and that was enough to make him snap out of his dream world. "What? What's the matter?"

She looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and yet there were no tears. She glanced back at Kyoukotsu and Bankotsu followed her gaze. Suddenly, his heart was pounding faster in his chest. Ìn fear. It couldn't be...

Hikari shook her head. She looked down and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Bankotsu clentched his fists. That feeling. Is was that same feeling rising up in him. Why did it come up so often? Back in his first life, he never really felt this way, but ever since the first time he's been ressurected, it's been bothering him like a fly that won't go away.

_"Kyoukotsu is dead."_

Those words repeated themselves in his head. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths and calm down. When he turned around to face Hikari, she was walking away.

She must have guessed that he was going to say something, so she truned around and said, "I'm pretty sure that you want to be alone with your brothers right now. If I stay here any longer, your brothers may wake up and throw a tantrum."

She paused, and continued, "You're going to have to tell them that I wasn't here in the first place. I know that they'll going to hate me as much as you hate Inuyasha. If you say that I just left you like this, they'll surely think that I'm a coward and pathetic.

"I really don't care about what they think of me. But what I'm concerned about is what _you_ feel about what they think of me." And with that, she walked back to the village.

*O*~*O*~*O*

She never visited the Shichinintai ever since. Even if she did see them, they'd only try to kill her and make her pay for killing Kyoukotsu. Hikari did her best to keep a good distance between them, but somehow, they always got closer. She'd try to convince the others to move a little faster, but all they would ask is "Why?" And she wouldn't answer.

Hikari never knew if Bankotsu forgave her or not. She wanted to see him again, just to ask him if he was okay, or if he forgot everything that happened. But she knew that it would be useless.

Bankotsu hated her. That was that. That was enough to make her stay away.

She knew that she had to do the same. Hate him. Hate him for being a mercenary. Hate him for hurting her friends. But she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't pass a single day without having to think of him and regret not seeing him.

A week after Kyoukotsu's death, the Inutachi was on their way back to Kaede's village. They've gone far enough into the south, and now they decided to head towards the north. And of course, Kagome had to stock up and see her family again. Myouga ditched them at their visit to a village, but the Inutachi didn't really care about that.

The night they were a day away from the village, they stayed up a little earlier than usual.

Sango sat down and closed her eyes as she felt the cool air on her face. "The breeze feels really nice tonight."

Miroku sat by her side. "Indeed, it does."

Little kitten Kirara rolled in the fresh grass and lied down next to Kohaku. The boy patted her head and layed her on his lap. Kagome was getting her sleaping bag ready and Inuyasha and Shippou were arguing, as usual.

"My weapons are not junk!" Shippou exclaimed.

"They look like junk, they smell like junk, they _are_ junk!" Inyasha retorted.

"How do you know how junk smells like? I bet you don't even know the meaning of the word!"

"I know how it smells like 'cause I have a huge pack of it right in front of me!"

"Inuyasha! SIT!"

The half demon crumbled to the ground and whimpered.

"That was rougher than what you usually argue about! Show a little bit of kindness sometimes! Shippou's objects can be useful, so don't say anything about it!" Kagome yelled.

Hikari stared at her friends who continued arguing and yelling at each other. But she could see the amusement in most of their eyes. She smiled sadly and looked up at the moon._ "Are you looking at it now, Bankotsu? Tonight, no one should really feel upset. But... if there really was one person who feels sadness in their heart, it might be me."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

_**The next morning...**_

Hikari was the last to wake up. Since she didn't want to see the sunlight so soon, she decided to keep her eyes closed for a little while longer. All her friends were wide awake. She could tell from the way their auras felt. They were working. "_Probably to pact things up," _she thought.

That night she decided to sleep in a tree. When the others asked why, she said that it was to look at the sky from closer. Even if it was just a few meters higher, it was close enough. Then, when she was seattled, she started playing her flute. And everyone went to sleep.

And when she wakes up, she finds out that all her friends woke up before her.

When she felt heir auras, it seemed somewhat different. It felt more urgent, more desperate to find something. And something didn't exactly feel right. She just couldn't tell what was bothering her. Her aura sensing never really worked well in the morning, only if she was fully awake. That was when she decided to open her eyes. She found Miroku, Sango and Shippou looking around and calling out to...

Kagome.

Hikari hoped off her tree. That was the one thing she couldn't get. Kagome's aura has dissapeared. But it seemed that her presence was replaced by another. An aura that she didn't want to feel unless it was far away.

As soon as she got down, Hikari fell to Shippou's side. He looked like as if he was going to burst with tears any moment know. He looked up at his friend and whimpered, "H... Hikari..."

She tried to calm him down with a soothing voice. "I know. Tell me what happened."

The little fox demon sniffed and said, "Last night, I slept next to Kagome. I decided to wait until she was completly asleep before I go to sleep too, to protect her, and to make sure that she was going to be okay."

Hikari smiled softly and spoke, "That's very brave of you Shippou, and I'm sure you did a great job."

His eyes filled with tears when she said that. But he continued, "So just when I decided to get to sleep, I smelled something really odd, and before I knew it, I was asleep. The last thing I remeber about it was that there was some sort of fog, and that I couldn't see anything."

"And then," his voce cracked, "when I woke up..."

Hikari didn't rush him. She didn't want to force the truth out of him, even if she couldn't wait until he says everything.

Shippou sniffed again and sucked his tears up. "When I woke up... Kagome wasn't there! She was gone!" He bursted into tears.

Hikari inwardly growled. _"Damn it... Bankotsu... What are you planning to do?" _

* * *

**I've got to say, I'm pretty proud of this one ^^**

**This took a lot shorter than I thought it would. **

**Not a lot of romance in this one, but, hey, there will be a little bit more soon :)**

**Okay, so maybe there will be more emotions and hurt in the next chapter, but don't worry, it won't last long.**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	9. The Deal

**Ugh. I've been so busy with my science and history projects. Oh, well, at least they're finished now.**

**Disclaimer: I've already written it tons (8) times for this story, but I'll just say it again. I do not own Inuyasha. **

* * *

**~Stars of The Moon~**

**Chapter 8**

Hikari ran to Inuyasha, Kohaku and Kirara. According to her instincts, they should be just about ahead.

She should have knew that this would happen. This is the way how Bankotsu wanted her to suffer. By taking down her friends one by one. She just didn't expect this to happen so soon.

Kohaku must have been up on a tree, and Kirara was in the sky, both searching for anything mysterious or suspicious in the surroundings. Inuyasha was on all fours when Hikari found him. He was sniffing like as if he wanted to know the scent of every single piece of dirt in the clearing. When he seemes to have finished, he jumped up and growled, "Dammit! Where could she have gone?"

"Can you catch her scent?" Hikari asked as she appeared.

The half demon spoke through his teeth. "No. I don't know what happened last night, but I know that somehow, Kagome's scent is gone. Either her kidnappers masked her scent or either they damaged my nose so that I can't smell her. And in either cases, I won't be able to find her!"

Kohaku and Kirara came to join them. "Hikari, have you tried searching for some auras?" Kohaku asked.

She shook her head "I was waiting for you guys to meet up with me. Let's go back to Sango and see if she found anything. And if she didn't, it's always good to check if there's still tracks of the kidnapper's auras."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go already!" Inuyasha exclaimed. He was the first to run off, and he was followed by Kirara and Kohaku soon after. Hikari was the only one left behind.

She couldn't tell them that she knew who kidnapped Kagome. They're going too know soon, but she didn't want them to know right now. And anyways, they wouldn't understand why the Band of Seven woud steal her. If Hikari told them about her mettings with the mercenaries, Inuyasha will surely kill her.

She had to think about what she was going to say before telling them the truth.

But inside, she felt that she was slightly betraying them by not telling them everything that happened. If she told them that Kyoukotsu was dead, that would make them relax a little bit more, knowing that one of their enemies are dead again.

She decided to put the pain in her stomach aside and move on to their current situation.

Kagome was captured.

The Band of Seven took her.

Why? Because they wanted to make Hikari pay for the death of their brother.

But...

Hikari rushed to her friends as fast as she could. If she was late, Inuyasha would probably yell at her for being so slow and not being caring enough. After all, she was their only hope left of finding their miko friend. When she ran, her mind wasn't on the fact that she should reach their friends.

There should have been another reason to why they took Kagome.

But what other cause could there be?

Hikari had this feeling... that the answer she would soon get wasn't going to be good. At all.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"This way!" Hikari announced as she ran past Inuyasha and her friends. "Kagome's aura continues here!"

She decided that she won't tell them that she felt Bankotsu's aura back in camp. She'll tell them that he might have hid his aura once she gains some sort of proof that he was here, or that he was the one who really kidnapped Kagome.

Not that she really needed proof, though. Knowing that he was there when Kagome was kidnapped was proof enough.

_"It's just a little further... Kagome didn't know that she was being captured..." _she thought._ "I can't imagine how she'll react when she sees that she's been sleeping next to mercenaries for the whole night. More precisely, the Band of Seven."_

She came to a halt when she realised that Kagome's aura was starting to fade. The Shichinintai must have started to mask her aura by then. Hikari still continued running, and when she couldn't felt anything other than the life around her, she stopped. She found something odd.

A letter was pinned to a tree with a sharp stick.

When Hikari looked around, she couldn't find her friends. _"Maybe I went a little too fast for them? Oh well, it doesn't matter. They're going to catch up anyways."_

She pulled out the stick that pinned the letter gently, making sure that she didn't rip anything. She opened it and ran over the words quickly. She wasn't surprised to see that it was Renkotsu's writing.

When she had finished reading the letter, she felt something building up in her. Her teeth clenched and she did her best to control herself from riping the paper in hundreds of tiny pieces. This feeling didn't feel like anything she had felt for a very, very long time.

She recognied it as rage.

This is what she's been so worried about. She got her answer. And just as she guessed, it wasn't good.

The anger in her eyes flared and the paper trembled under her grasp. _"How... dare they..."_

At that moment, Inuyasha came into sight. He stopped in his tracks when he saw how Hikari's expression looked. "Hikari? Hey, what's going on?" The rest of the group was right behind him.

Without looking at her friends, she help up the letter. She snarled through her teeth, "Read."

Inuyasha seemed too shocked to take the letter from her hand, so Miroku took it instead. He read it out loud, "We already know that you're reading this, Inuyasha. You may not know who we are, but Hikari surely knows.

"You should have noticed by now that your woman is gone. If you want to save her, you will show up tonight, when the moon is at its highest level. Walk up the river from here. That's where you'll find us. But in return for the girl, you're going to have to give us a little something. And you already know what we want. So we won't bother saying it.

"You'd better make up your mind quickly, or you won't see your woman again. At least, not in this world. If you try anything suspicious when we meet, you can already say goodbye to your precious friend."

"Those bastards," Inuyasha growled. "So Kagome really was captured."

"It appears so," Miroku confirmed. "And from more than just one person."

"But what do they mean by 'make up your mind quickly'?" Kohaku wondered out loud.

"Before asking any more questions, we should ask Hikari who wrote it." Inuyasha turned around and faced the healer. "So? Who is it?"

"Who else could it be?" she snapped.

They all looked at each other to see if any of them had the answer. Nobody seemed to know, so they all looked at her.

"Who is it?" Inuyasha repeated.

Hikari took a deep breath to calm herself down, and she spoke, "The Band of Seven. That's who."

All of their eyes widened. "But why would they steal Kagome?" Sango asked in a thoughtful tone. "Wouldn't they have taken her sooner? All this time, they've been staying out of sight, and it's _now_ that they show up?"

Hikari sighed. "Actually... They did show up..." It was time to put her plan into action.

"What? When?" Inuyasha raged.

"You didn't meet them, but I did. When we were in a village, Bankotsu found me and wanted to talk to me. He told me that Kyoukotsu was dying from the wound Kohaku gave him. He asked me to help him, but I refused. Then, a few days later, he came back to me.

"But this time, it was a warning. He told me that Kyoukotsu was dead, and that he blamed me for it. He swore to me that he'd make me pay somehow. I guess this is how he wants me to suffer."

It was alright as long as some of the events were true, right? Even if some were lies, it was still okay as long as she doesn't lie completly... Hikari couldn't tell if what she was doing was right or wrong.

"That makes sense..." Sango mumbled. "So Kyoukotsu's dead?"

Hikari nodded. "Yeah."

"That's good news," said Miroku.

"Can't we just get back to the problem?" Inuyasha said in an impatient tone. "So the Band of Seven captured Kagome. They want something in return. And what exactly is that? Do you have any ideas of what they might want, Hikari?"

Her expression suddenly changed back into the anger she had when they found her. Only this time, she looked even angrier. She growled, "What else would they want?"

Since nobody answered, she spoke in such a cold and unususal voice that it made them shiver. "They want **me**."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Kagome groaned as she felt pain on the top of her head. _"Ugh, my head..."_

She opened her left eye slightly, expecting to see Shippou sleeping soundlessly next to her. She realised in shock that he wasn't there. In fact, she wasn't even in her sleeping bag. _"Wha... What happened?"_

She sat up and looked around. Both of her eyes were wide open. This didn't look anything like the place she slept the night before. Sure, if the group decided to change spots without waking her up, she could have easily accepted that. But right now, she couldn't find any of her friends.

Now, she was nervous. _"W-where am I? Why isn't anyone here? I don't remember being here, and I'm sure that we didn't move or anything..."_

As panic began to rise up in her, she called out to anyone who she thought was there. "Shippou? Sango? Miroku? Inuyasha?"

She heard a voice say behind her, "Ah, so you're finally awake. About damn time."

Kagome froze. That voice...

It sounded so familiar... And then she remembered to it belonged to.

She slowly turned around to see if her mind wasn't playing her tricks. Her eyes went wide as she chocked down a gasp. The one thing she managed to say came out as a whisper. "Bankotsu."

The young mercenary smirked as he took a step forward. The light reflected from his huge halberd blinded Kagome. "That's me. Look, try not to scream, will ya? My ears already hurt from Jakotsu's yelling."

Kagome frowned and braced herself in case he attacked her. Of course, she wasn't scared. She's been in this situation far too many times. Kidnapped, threatened, and tied up for a reason she never knew. In the end, Inuyasha will always come for her and save her. And even if he didn't get there in time, she can always defend herself with her spiritual powers or her bow and arrows...

... ?

She jumped up. _"Oh, crap!"_

She looked around her and reached behind her back to see if her weapon was there. _"I must have left my bow and arrows back with the others!"_

"You women really have to learn to keep your stuff on you at all times," Bankotsu snickered. "They might actually come in handy one day."

The miko got onto a defensive stance. She learned how to easily dodge attacks from Hikari, so if Bankotsu planned on killing her, she might as well live a few seconds or minutes longer. She wasn't going down without a fight.

Bankotsu was impressed with this girl's confidence and courage. _"At least she isn't weak like some other women. She's got some guts so look at me that way."_

"You brought me here, didn't you?" Kagome asked the man defiantly.

He smiled and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "And what makes you say that?"

"I'm not with my friends and I found myself here with you instead. There's no way that I could've got here by being carried by the wind. And you said that I'm finally awake, so you were waiting for me to wake up, weren't you?"

He smirked. "Ah, you're pretty smart, aren't you? Well, to answer your question, yes, I brought you here. And apparently, you're going to have to stay here for a while. Well, only until tonight."

Kagome frowned. She didn't like how this was heading. But she still kept her calm. "And why... tonight?"

He sighed. Sure, she was smart, but sometimes asking pertinent questions had a limit. "Since you're asking so many questions, I'll just say everything at once. You're going to have to stay here until tonight because that's when your friends will arrive to get you.

"I've sent them a letter telling them everything they need to do to get you back in their group. I've decided to make a little exchange... Just a little something for your freedom."

"Now," he said suddenly, "Since I've answered your questions, I have a little something to ask you too."

Kagome started feeling uneasy. Now, she was starting to panick. The words came out slowly from her mouth. "What... do you... want... from me?"

"Nothing secret, don't worry," he said as he got closer to her until he was able to grab her chin between his fingers. Kagome didn't flich from his look and glared at him. "I'm only going to say this once. What do you know about the one who resurrected us?"

The miko's eyes widened in surprise. This is all he wanted? Didn't he get everything he wanted from Hikari?

As if he had read her mind, he added, "Hikari wasn't with you all this time. You know more about the clues you found than she does."

She gulped. He wasn't lying. Out of all the members of the Inutachi, she and Inuyasha were the only people who knew most of their past enemies. It seemed logical that they took her instead of Inuyasha. She asked herself how he had gotten that information... Or was it just his luck?

"So?"

His forcing glare made her say what she knew. "W-we don't know much about him... or her, but we know that some people who has been resurrected smell like lavender flowers! That's all we know!"

She saw Bankotsu flinch a little. Maybe he didn't believe her. And that wasn't enough information. She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, but before he could say anything, they heard Jakotsu's voice. "Big Brother? Hey, Bankotsu!"

Bankotsu let Kagome go and turned to his friend. When the cross dresser saw Kagome, he snorted, "Oh. The woman's awake."

She did her best to keep herself back from yelling at the man that she had a name. Did he really call all the girls 'woman'?

The leader turned his back to her and said to Jakotsu, "Is everyone else up?"

When the man nodded, he added, "Good. I'll meet you and the others there."

Jakotsu took off, and Bankotsu was about to go after him, but Kagome had one last question to ask him. "Wait! What are you going to do if my friends don't come?"

She heard him smirk. "Oh, we'll just... do something about you. That's all. I'll come and get you later. Until then, don't try to run away. You know that it's useless."

As Kagome watched the leader of the mercenaries go away, she shivered. She didn't like the sound of that idea.

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_That night (evening)..._**

The healer and the demon slayer were taking a bath in the river. Hikari used her powers to make the water warmer so that they won't get cold, and she made a wall between the two girls and the men to make sure that a certain perverted monk won't peek.

The sun was slowly setting below the horizon for the night and in the sky was a beautiful mix of orange, blue, and pink colors. Half of the sky was dark and full of stars, and the other half would be bright with the orange light of the sun.

Ever since they've recieved the letter, Inuyasha demanded that they go right away to save Kagome. The others agreed as well, but they all knew that even if they got to the right location, they won't meet the Band of Seven till night time.

During all that time, they didn't know what to do. They can continue their journey a little further, but just for a little while, since they couldn't stay too far from the river. And they couldn't split up because Inuyasha suspected that the Shichinintai might attack them when they finally got their hands on what they wanted.

Hikari's mind was so full of questions. She didn't understand why he took Kagome instead of taking _her_ right away. She couldn't sense their or Kagome's aura, and she felt comlpletly lost. What if Bankotsu wanted to do something with her? What will he do with her? Harm her? Kill her? Wait, isn't that like the same thing?

She was going nuts.

"Hikari?"

She jumped when she heard Sango's voice. "Yes? What is it?"

Sango seemed embarassed. Her cheeks were getting red. "I was just wondering... what is your relationship... with Bankotsu?"

This sudden question sent Hikari completly unbalanced. She stumbled into the water and came out with a gasp. "Wha... What did you say?"

The demon slayer's cheeks just seemed getting redder and redder. "Oh, never mind. It sounds really stupid."

Hikari didn't say anytihng for a while, and she sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

Her friend didn't say anything, but her aura told Hikari everything. She breathed in some air and said, "I'll be honest with you. When I met him, he wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but he didn't look as cruel as I would've thought that he'd be. But after a while, I grew to understand his pain... His pain of losing people precious to him. And then... we grew to understand each other."

"Okay, but I mean other than that," Sango interrupted. Hikari looked confused, so she explained, "I mean how you feel about him. About how he acts around you. How you act around him..."

The L. Healer blushed and looked down. "Oh... that... right..."

Sango was waiting for an answer. And she wasn't going to let anything slide. Hikari knew that. So she said with the blush never leaving from her face, "I... I guess that I like him... Of course I do... but somtimes... he's just really... oh, I don't know... annoying and..."

The demon slayer cut her off again. "Hikari, usually, you're always the light-headed one, but now, you're just some other embarassed girl. Can't you just talk normally, the way you usually talk to me?"

Hikari sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll start again."

She took a deep breath. "The days go by, and we grow closer to each other. Sometimes, my heart would beat faster when he's closer to me, to the point where our bodies touch,"-she heard Sango gasp that time- "But sometimes, when he's really ticking me off, I don't feel anything like that at all. It made me go crazy.

"Nobody else made me feel this way. I didn't know where I was going. And somehow, when it came to this kind of stuff, he was always one step ahead of me. He was perfectly clam, no regret or anything in his eyes.

"Our last day together was different. I felt closer to him than I've ever been, and my heart was crushed when he left. I knew that he was going to die in the first place, but I didn't think that losing him would hurt me as much as it did."

When she finished talking, she asked, "Why did you ask me that? Is there something you might want to know?"

Sango shook her head. "Just curious. And Kagome's been wondering about it too. You know her, always looking for some interresting things. She was willing to ask you, and so was I, but... Since you're going to leave soon, I guess I might as well get the infomation."

Hikari nodded. "That explains a lot... Maybe I should have told you sooner about it."

"It's alright. At least I can tell Kagome about it."

They remained quiet for the rest of the time they were in the water. It was clear that they were going to exchange Hikari for Kagome. Inuyasha and the others tried to convince Hikari to not go, but she wouldn't change her mind no matter what.

Inuyasha insisted that they make out a plan to save Kagome, and to prevent Hikari from being taken away, but Hikari immediatly rejected that idea.

"There's no way I'm going to let blood be spilled tonight," she said, "If someone dies or gets hurt because of me, I'll never forgive myself. It's already bad enough that Kagome's been kidnapped. They know that we might try something sneaky, so we can't take any chances. If we do anything, Kagome will die."

She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt tonight. Her sacrifice will probably be one of the most greatests' she's ever done, but this sacrifice might just send her straight to hell.

She stood up and got her closes on. Her blue kimono blended in well with the darkness of the night. She wore it and made sure that her dragon necklace was shown. She picked up her blades from the ground and placed them in their shethes, behind her back.

Sango's always wondered why that necklace of hers was so special. Even back when they were kids, she brought it everywhere with her. She decided that it might have been best to keep her mouth shut. After all, it might have been a present from her mother or father.

"Say, Hikari..." She started. She wasn't going to ask her about the necklace. Just something else.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Why do you think... Bankotsu took Kagome?"

Hikari clenched her teeth. She didn't know how many times she's done that in the same day. "I don't know any more than you do. I don't know why he took Kagome right away instead of taking me instead if they wanted me in the first place. It just doesn't make any sense..." she trailed off.

Sango nodded. "And why were you so mad that Bankotsu wanted you into his group...? Sorry, I sound annoying, don't I?"

She smiled. "No, not at all. I... I guess I felt really pissed off that he'd try to force me into his group. I mean, come on! He can't just say that, one day, I belong to him! It just sounds so possesif! And how dare he try to order me around! I **refuse** to take orders from **him** or anyone else!"

"Now, that's a lot of information," Sango stated.

Hikari could sense the curiousity coming from Sango's aura. She wanted to ask one more question, but she didn't want to sound like a nuisance. Hikari inwardly smiled. _"You haven't changed at all, Sango."_

She sighed. She knew that she wouldn't be able to keep the secrets for too long.

So why not reveal one?

"Sango?"

The demon slayer's head jolted up. "Yes? What is it?"

Hikari could see the impatience in her eyes. She would have giggled if what she was going to tell her wasn't so serious. "Can you keep a secret?"

Her friend blinked. "Well... That depends on what the secret's about..."

She nodded. "Good point. I'll say it anyways, since I'm sure that you really want to know."

She saw Sango blush, but she didn't hear her complaining. The healer started, "It's about... the time when Bankotsu asked me for his help to heal Kyoukotsu. I told you that I declined his request, but... I lied. I decided to help him."

Sango gasped, but she continued, "But I knew that it would take more than a day for Kyoukotsu to heal. So for the time I left you... I was out there helping him. But in the end, I guess that all my efforts were in vain...

"I think that that's the real reason why Bankotsu took Kagome. Not to make me pay for not accepting his request, but because I couldn't help Kyoukotsu. But I'm sure that once we switch Kagome for me, they're going to make me go through hell without even trying. That's karma for you, I guess."

She turned to look at Sango who seemes completly shocked. Hikari's eyes were pleading. "Please, don't tell Inuyasha or anyone about this. I know that you're going to tell Kagome about this, so I won't bother asking you to not say anything to her. I understand that you're going to hate me, but please...?"

Sango smiled. She hasn't seen this side of Hikari in a very long time. These days, she looked so sure of herself, so confident and strong, and looked like she didn't need anyone's help. _"But I guess that there's still a little bit of the young girl I knew inside you, Hikari."_

"It's alright," she answered. "I'm not mad at you. You told me the truth, so it's fine."

Hikari blinked in surprise, and she warmly smiled. She didn't say anything, but her mind felt like as if it was saying everything she felt. She didn't know how people can be as forgiving as this...

When they were both out of the water and back to camp, the moon was already showing itself above the trees. But it still wasn't time to get Kagome. Hikari gathered everyone in a circle for a meeting.

"We need to talk about what you're going to do when I'm gone," she said when they've all settled down.

"We don't need to," said Inuyasha. "We come after you as soon as the day passes by."

Hikari shook her head. "No. You can't come after me. That's not as important as finding out if Naraku is alive or not. You'll continue your way to Kaede's place, explain everything, and stay there for a while to get ready. After that, you'll continue searching for any clues about the ressurected demons. It's as simple as that."

"What about you?" Kohaku asked. "We can't just leave you with the Band of Seven."

She frowned and bit her bottom lip. "I know. So how about you come searching for me... about a week after you've left the village?"

"But you'd already be miles away by then!" Shipou exclaimed.

"I know that too. But you can't come searching for me so quickly. You know that the Band of Seven is stronger now. Once you find me, you know that there's going to be a battle. And even if they're a number down, they can still take you on. So I want you all to train for a while before coming after me."

"Then why don't you start searching for us?" Miroku proposed. "That would make things much easier. You can sneak away one night and search for us. Or maybe run away from them while they're busy."

Hikari lowered her gaze. "That won't work."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

She explained, "I won't be able to sneak away one night because there's going to be someone keeping watch. I know positive that they're going to do that. And I can't just leave them as simply as you think. If I leave them, and if they figure it out, the only way they're going to try to get me back is by attacking me and knocking me out. Even if I am pretty strong, I can't take all of them at once. And there's no guarantee that I'll get out of it without any scratches."

The half demon growled in frustration. "This is useless! Isn't there anything we can do?"

Miroku shook his head. "Afraid not."

Hikari looked up at the sky. "It's going to be time soon... I'd better get ready." She turned back to her friends and looked into each of their eyes, "You all know what to do after I'm gone now. There might not be anything good coming out of this, but I'm asking you do to this for me."

Her eyes were dead serious. "Promise me that, the next time we meet, you'll have more information about our enemy. You may not find much, and you're going to have to be patient for answers. But you should at least come up with a few clues. Of course, I'll do my best too."

They all nodded with the same serious expression on their faces.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Dammit," Suikotsu growled. "Why aren't they here yet?"

"Because it's not time yet," Renkotsu stated. "Just take the pain of having a woman like her around just a little longer. Her friends will be here soon."

Ginkotsu agreed. "Gersh!"

Kagome wanted to yell out 'I'm still here, you know!', but she decided that it was best to keep her mouth shut. After all, she didn't want to die right before her friends showed up.

She was going to be looked over by Renkotsu, Suikotsu and Ginkotsu while she waited for her friends to arrive. The other members of the Shichinintai were waiting not far from there for certain reasons.

She was positive that this day might have been one of the worst days she's ever lived through.

Not that anything interreseting happened, though. Nobody really talked to her. Nobody, except Bankotsu.

Of course, he _had_ to talk to her, since he was the one giving her the food. Sometimes, he'd ask questions, or have a small talk with her, but that was all. Most of the time, he'd ask about Hikari or some other things about Kagome.

_"He didn't seem all that bad... In fact, he seemed pretty nice..." _was all that she could think of.

And the food?

Disgusting.

Horrible.

It made her sick to her stomach.

Kagome didn't know if it was because she felt so uncomfortable around the Shichinintai that it tasted weird, or because Renkotsu might have over cooked the meat.

Okay, so her day wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She was just really surprised how the Band of Seven sucked at cooking anything.

Some members of the Band of Seven were kept back from escorting Kagome to her friends. Bankotsu kept Jakotsu in to make sure that he wasn't going to jump on Inuyasha and he kept Mukotsu because he knew that he'd just stare at Kagome or Hikari if he was ever in the same clearing or room as the girls.

And the leader? Renkotsu didn't exactly know why he stayed back, but something told him that it was because their leader didn't want to face Hikari just yet. Probably because the moment she'd lay eyes on him, she'd kill him with a single glare.

He thought back to when Bankotsu announced the plan.

**_FLASHBACK_**

"Bankotsu, where, just _where_ did you get that idea from?" Jakotsu whinned.

Bankotsu shrugged. "I just got it. That's all. It seems wise, doesn't it?"

Everyone remained silent, and finally, Suikotsu grumbled, "No, it doesn't. Not at all."

Their leader sighed. "Okay, I know that it sounds wierd and-"

"It sounds completly insane!" Jakotsu suddenly exclaimed. "What use is she, anyways? She killed Kyoukotsu, so what good would it do if she stayed with us? She's useless!"

Bankotsu groaned. "Look, first of all, she didn't kill Kyoukotsu. He was just too weak to survive."

"So you're defending her?" Renkotsu reproached.

"Who said that I was?" He retorted. "I'm saying that Kyoukotsu just didn't have enough life in him to move on. Even with the power which was given to us, he was still weak."

"So why couldn't we just leave him behind when we had the chance?" Renkotsu growled.

Bankotsu stiffined. His words came out very slowly. "Because, back then, I would have thought that he was stronger. Apparently, it seems that I was wrong. But the rest of us still have hope of surviving. But just to make sure that we'll be fine, we'll keep a legendary healer around to heal us.

"And besides," he added, "With her on our side, Inuyasha loses a member of his team. He also loses his greatest tracker and a person who can heal his wounds. If we have Hikari, we can also search for the one who resurrected us. After all, that's why she joined them."

Everyone flinched. That's true. They needed to search for the one who resurrected them. If Naraku was still alive, what would they do? And what if he wasn't? This girl was able to give them the answers. But was it really worh it? Wouldn't it have been best to not know who brought them back from the dead?

But they knew that it would be pointless to argue with their leader. And they didn't like this idea. They hated it.

Renkotsu seemes to have taken it a slight bit easier than the others. For one thing, Kyoukotsu was the weakest in their group, so of course, he wouldn't have survived. Maybe it was too late by the time Hikari started to treat him.

And he wanted to stay alive. He refused to die a thrid time. Never mind his brothers, his life was the most important.

"He's the plan," Bankotsu explained. "Yesterday, I learned that Inuyasha isn't too far from here. So we'll do the kidnapping tonight. First off, I don't want to steal Hikari right away. I need a few answers first, so we'll take the priestess."

"You mean the girl with the vile and strange clothing?" Jakotsu asked as he wrinkled his nose.

Bankotsu sighed. Jakotsu just had to add some more details, didn't he? "Yes, her. We're going to hide our scent so that Inuyasha doesn't track us, but we're going to make sure that trakcs of our aura are left behind for Hikari. She'll sense it and at the end of the track, we'll leave a little message telling them everything we want."

"An exchange?" Ginkotsu's metallic voice said.

Their leader nodded. "Yes. The priestess for a legendary healer. But we're not going to write that down."

"Huh?" Jakotsu was the first to react. "Then how do they know what you want? What if they show up with someone's head instead of the woman?"

"That'll be even better," Bankotsu answered in an amused tone. "But no, I'm sure that they won't show up with something like that."

"How can you be so sure?" wheezed Mukotsu.

Bankotsu smirked. "Oh, I know. That's all."

**_END FLASHBACK_**

And here they were, waiting for Inuyasha and his friends to arrive.

Suikotsu seemed to be getting impatient. Kagome and Renkotsu can tell from the way he's been intently staring in front of him ever since they arrived. Every once in a while, he'd scowl or groan. Now _that_ was getting annoying.

Renkotsu sighed. "Suikotsu, calm down. We know that being patient isn't your strongest point, but just try to wait a little longer, will you?"

The doctor growled. "I can't help it. If they don't arrive soon, I'll kill the girl and get back to camp."

Kagome froze and looked down. This was getting serious. Didn't they care if Inuyasha decided to change his mind if he found her dead? The half demon would never give what they wanted if he ever figured out that...

She shook her head. No. Inuyasha would arrive. She was sure of it.

She decided to keep her mind away from that subject and thought about what they wanted. Nobody told her what it really was. One good example she could think of was Inuyasha's life, but... No, of course, that didn't make any sense. Bankotsu wasn't stupid enough to request something that absurd.

Although, it would make sense if...

_"No! Stop it!" _She screamed to herself. _"There's no way that they'd ask for that! Sure, they want Inuyasha dead, but I'm sure that they'd try to take him down in a real fight, not because of me! Mercenaries are too proud for that kind of stuff!"_

But what else could there be? Kagome couldn't think of anything they wanted other the death of the one who killed them a second time. They already know that they can't get any jewel shards since they don't exist anymore. And Bankotsu already asked her for clues of what she and her friends found out about the one who ressurected their old enemies.

So what could it possibly be?

*O*~*O*~*O*

_"We're almost there..." _Hikari thought as she ran ahead of the Inutachi.

"Can you smell anything Inuyasha?" She asked over her shoulder.

"If I could, I'd be the one leading and I'd already be there!" He exclaimed.

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, so I shouldn't have asked."

She glanced down next to her and stared at the water. The moon's light and the tress were reflected from the water. The tiny waves danced with the rocks and the sound of the water shoothed her soul. She felt so relaxed and calm.

But it was all over when she rembered why she was running in the first place. She sighed. Will she ever see something this beautiful again?

She searched for Kagome's aura. Yes, her friend was right ahead. Along with Suikotsu, Renkotsu, and Ginkotsu. It seems that the rest of the band was held back. She felt releaved that Bankotsu wasn't there. But at the same time, she felt troubled.

Kagome was calm. Her aura was relaxed, but not too relaxed. Sure she felt a little scared, being with the mercenaries all by herself, but she was getting along better than how any other woman would have been.

Then, all of a sudden, Hikari felt Kagome's aura beginning to panick. Kagome's heart started beating faster and faster. Hikairi started running a little faster, and Inuyasha and Kirara had a bad time catching up. The dog demon yelled, "Hey! I know that we're in a rush, but wait for us!"

The L. Healer didn't listen. She was too busy keeping track of her friend's aura. She didn't know what was going on, but she could tell that she had to get there fast. She couldn't read Kagome's mind since she wasn't with her face to face.

And then, in one sudden burst, Hikari felt an enormous terror shoot right through her.

Kagome's terror.

Forgetting about the rest of her friends, she bolted off and ran as fast as she could to the miko and the mercenaries. She heard Miroku yell, "Hey, Hikari-" But she took no notice of it.

If she wasn't there in a few seconds... She knew that Kagome would die.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Kagome sighed. All this thinking was making her dizzy. She figured that it would be best for her to just stay put and wait.

Then again, that's what she's been doing from the start.

Suikotsu was starting to look more and more impatient, and Kagome knew that eventually, he'll burst. She trembled at the thought. She just hoped that that 'eventually' won't happen.

Renkotsu wondered why his leader would send out Suikotsu. If Bankotsu sent Renkotsu and Ginkotsu, it would have been fine too. After all, the bald man was the wisest of the group, and Ginkotsu was his best friend.

Bankotsu knew very well that Suikotsu can easily get impatient. And if the doctor/mercenary wasn't satisfied, he would kill without hesitation. That is, unless, his doctor side interfeared with his kill. But anyways, bringing him along wasn't the best idea.

It was probably because their leader didn't trust Renkotsu enough to leave him alone yet. Even being left with Ginkotsu wasn't very wise, since the metal monster would probably follow his friend wherever he went.

Everyone kept quiet. Nobody wanted to talk or say anything until Inuyasha arrived.

Then...

Suikotsu roared, "Dammit, I can't stand this!"

Kagome jumped. Her eyes widened. Uh oh... this can't be good. She glanced at Renkotsu. Wasn't he going to do something aboput this? He said, "Suikotsu. Be patient and be quiet. Your voice will lead Inuyasha straight towards us. That's not what we want, remember?"

_"What?" _Kagome shifted her gaze from Renkotsu to Suikotsu and back. _"What do they mean 'that's not what we want'? They requested an exchange, so don't they need Inuyasha for that? Then why is he saying that they want exactly the opposite? This isn't right..." _she thought.

"I'm at my limit," Suikotsu retorted. "I say we kill the girl once and for all. We wasted our time making sure that she stays alive here, and they don't arrive! And we don't know if they will arrive! Let's put her out of her misery and get back to camp!"

Kagome gasped. Suikotsu was already armed with his claws and taking menacing steps towards her. She was frozen and even if she could run, she would never be able to over run him. She heard Renkotsu yell, "Suikotsu, stop this now! Big Brother will kill you if-"

It was too late. The doctor had his claws right over the girl's head. So this is how it was supposed to end? She never imagined that she would be killed this way. What about the hunt for the resurrector? What about her friends and family?

She hated being the weakest. She could use her spiritual powers, but good would that do? Back him away a little, but then he'd just get angrier. Either way, she was going to die. She thought, _"If only I was stronger..."_

Her friends' faces came into her mind. _"Everyone... I'm sorry..."_

Her heart beated faster and faster from the terror that she felt.

The claws were closing in on her on slow motion.

And she closed her eyes shut as she prepared for the impact.

She felt the wind fly over her head.

And after a few seconds, nothing happened.

She told herself that she should open her eyes to see what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She heard Suikotsu's voice. But this time, it wasn't as hostile as it was before. He was surprised. "What? How did you..."

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. And just when she saw a glimer of what was in front of her, they bursted open.

Hikari was blocking Suikotsu's claws with her blade. She was crouching down because of Suikotsu's strength on her sword. She snarled, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

Suikotsu jumped back and Hikari glared at him. She said, "I recall you saying that you'll return Kagome to us. You didn't go back on your word, did you?"

He didn't answer. He was still shocked from her appearance. In fact, so was Renkotsu and Ginkotsu.

_"She's fast," _Renkotsu thought. _"Nobody saw her running in to save her friend."_

Hikari looked over her shoulder and whispered, "Kagome? You okay?"

The miko slowly nodded, still unsure of what just happened. "I'm... fine."

Inuyasha and his friends decided to show up then. "Hikari! Why did you-"

When they saw that she had her sword unshethed, they took out their weapons as well. The dog demon started running towards the healer and the miko. "Kagome!"

Kagome's eyes beamed. "Inuyasha!" **(A/N: Sigh. I just find it so annoying how they always call each others names everytime they get back together. Seriously. But I'm just going to try to make it sound realistic.)**

And just when he was a few meters away from the girls, a wall of flame bursted out of nowhere and forced Inuyasha to back away. When it disappeared, Inuyasha glared at Renkotsu. "Why you..."

"Ah, ah, ah," Renkotsu said as he shook his finger. "What about the conditions we talked about?"

Inuyasha growled and Hikari called, "Never mind him, Inuyasha, just do what he wants!"

His ears lied on the back of his head as he backed away. Renkotsu lowered his gourd and said, "Now, that's better."

Hikari glared at him. "You've got what you wanted now. So leave Kagome and my friends out of this."

"Well, then," he smirked. "It seems that Big Brother was right. You knew what we wanted from the start, didn't you?"

The girl didn't answer. She sighed and whispered to Kagome again, "Kagome, go to Inuyasha and the others. Go before the Band of Seven changes their mind."

Kagome nodded. "But what about you? What are you going to give them?"

Yet again, she didn't answer. She repeated, "Get moving, Kagome."

The miko stood up and walked towards her friends. She rushed the last few steps and fell into Inuyasha's arms. He asked, "You okay? Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head. "I could have been killed, but Hikari arrived just in time to stop them. But the rest of the day was pretty boring."

"Boring? How can you say that being held captive by mercenaries is boring? You should have bene terrified and praying to stay alive! Did you know how worried sick we were? We spent the whole day doing nothing because you weren't by our side!"

Kagome blinked. _"Did he just say what I think he just said?"_

"Kagome!"

Shippou jumped into her arms and weeped, "I missed you!"

She smiled. The little fox buried his head in her chest as she patted his head. "I'm fine, Shippou. It's going to be okay."

Everyone turned their attention on Hikari, who was now standing up and putting away her sword. Kagome still didn't understand why she didn't fall back either. _"She isn't planing on taking them on her own, is she?" _she thought in horror_. "There's no way that she'll be able to take them all! Unless Inuyasha and Sango help her, of course..."_

Hikari started walking towards Renkotsu. The second in command flinched a little, but relaxed when she stopped. She turned around to glance at her friends one last time.

Kagome gasped. She understood now once she saw how the girl's eyes looked. _"It can't be... They wouldn't have..."_

Hikari's eyes were filled with sadness. She answered Kagome's questioning look by shaking her head from side to side. "Sorry," was the only word she said.

"Alright, our job here is done," Renkotsu announced as he thought that he had given enough time for everyone to say goodbye. "Get on," he signaled to Suikotsu and Hikari.

The doctor hopped on Ginkotsu's tank-like body and stood next to his brother, but Hikari hesitated before going on the opposite side of where the brothers were standing.

Kagome watched in horror as Hikari and the Band of Seven disappeared from her sight, leaving only Ginkotsu's tracks behind. She needed some answers. She turned back to Inuyasha and asked, "Inuyasha... What does the Band of Seven want? What did they want from us?"

Hikari looked down at her feet. Ginkotsu's metal body felt so odd... It felt like the ground was rumbling and shaking, preparing to break at any moment. Hikari was an expert when it came to balance, but she tried her very best to keep herself from not falling off the metal monster.

She could still feel her friends auras, but they were slowly fading away. Instead, it was replaced with the Band of Seven's aura, which was getting clearer and clearer. She hated this feeling. She can already imagine Bankotsu's smirking face, laughing at her misery.

This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be with her friends and reaching Kaede's village with them. But no- the Band of Seven just had to ruin it all.

She thought back to when Bankotsu asked for her help with Kyoukotsu. Would it have been best to let it down? But then, wouldn't the story have went the way she imagined it? That after she abandonned Bankotsu, and after Kyoukotsu had died, Bankotsu will hate her to death.

Either way, she would still find herself in this situation.

She looked up as she felt the auras getting closer. She could hear Jakotsu's complaining and sighed. Soon, very soon, she was going to live a real nightmare.

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

**And there you have it :)**

**Alright, so this wasn't the BEST chapter I've written. But i****n the next chapter, you'll see more of the Shichinintai, and more of what happened when Kagome was around the Band of Seven. That's for sure :)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	10. Day 1

**Thanks to Easter break, I've been able to get this done faster :) **

**(I know that it was last week, but it still helped!)**

**Foxrain7: Alright, here we go again. *ahem***

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, I only own the OCs... **

**FoxRain7: Sigh. How many times do I have to do this? -.-**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 9**

**_That morning..._**

Hikari sighed as she watched the birds fly away. They looked so free and so happy... She wished that she was like that right now.

But she couldn't.

Not with these men surounding her, at least.

Ever since she was forced into the Band of Seven last night, she always felt someone staring at her- whether she was awake or asleep didn't matter. Eyes were always on her, analysing her every move. And every time, she would shiver. Oh, how she wished that she was back with her friends.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't know the exact reason why Bankotsu took her. It was obvious that he wanted her to heal his brothers whenever they were hurt, but other than that, she couldn't think of anything else. That couldn't be the only reason, could it? It can't be reason enough.

They're stronger, so why did he need her help? Okay, so they aren't demons, but they were strong. So why else would Bankotsu take her?

_"He's so complicated sometimes!" _she yelled to herself. _"Honestly, I can't understand that guy! How many times did he try to act so mysterious? How many times did he try to trick me? And how many times did that work?"_

When she first woke up, nobody else was awake. Well, everyone was asleep, except Jakotsu, who was keeping guard. She decided that it would be best for her to go back to sleep, or at least act like it, since she knew that the atmosphere would heat up if she was alone with Jakotsu.

She couldn't find any sleep, and she didn't know how long it was before the others finally woke up. As soon as they woke up, most of them just went out for a walk or to hunt for breakfeast. But since she was sleeping on Ginkotsu, the metal tank was the only one who couldn't move.

She could hear Jakotsu saying, "What should we do? We can't just start moving randomly towards a direction. Even with the girl, we still can't find Naraku that easily."

"Keep your voice down," Bankotsu hushed. "I know that. But we might as well start by heading towards the West. We'll see if we can find anything."

Hikari decided to drop the act. First, she groaned a little, and started rolling on her sides. It was quite uncomfortable. After all, she wasn't sleeping on the soft grass anymore. She was on a giant pile of junk. And rolling on it felt like falling on sharp rocks.

Next, she started rubbing her eyes. She was going to have to be 'prepared' to see the sun shining on her face. She might as well go blind if she didn't. She opened her eyes lightly and blinked a few times.

When she got used to the sunlight, she sat up and streatched her arms, and yawned.

And that's when she realized that everyone was staring at her.

Hikari froze. "Umm... hello?"

Then, the men all looked away and went back to work.

_"Oh, boy," _she thought as she watched the clouds move in the sky._ "__Just how many times am I going to wake up that way?" _

"Hey."

Hikari looked up to see Suikotsu with her food. With the same emotionless tone, he said as he threw her the meat, "It's yours."

She looked down at her slice of meat and grimaced. _"Ugh. Just how do they survive with this? This isn't even cooked well and there are still traces of fur ont this thing! They really need to learn how to make a decent meal."_

"Eat."

She glared at him. "What makes you say that I will?"

"It's either that or starve to death."

Hikari didn't mind that at all. She can just go out for a while and find her own food. But she doubted that she'd ever have the chance to do that.

She growled, mumbled 'fine' and forced herself to take a bite out of it. Her eyes widened and she told herself to get rid of the emotion written on her face. She gulped it down and hesitated before taking another bite.

Satisfied, Suikotsu took his leave, and as soon as he disappeared from the sight, Hikari spat out the food. She made sure that she didn't spit it out on Ginkotsu. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve and looked up. She sneered under her breath, "As if I'd eat anything this horrible."

The men weren't too far from Hikari or Ginkotsu. It wouldn't be long before they leave. Right now, they were discussing plans. As Suikotsu walked up to them, he grumbled, "She's so annoying. Just being near her gives me the creeps."

"That what you said about the priestess too," said Renkotsu.

Suikotsu dropped the subject and asked, "How long will we walk to the West?"

Bankotsu asnwered, "How about... a day? Or at least half a day. I don't want to move slow, nor do I want to move too fast. So I think that's a good time."

"But what if we come across a village?" Mukotsu asked.

His leader didn't say anything. He glanced at Hikari from the corner of his eye, and thought, _"That's true... Usually, I'd say that we attack, but... If Hikari's with us... It might be a little bit more than she can handle." _

Everyone saw his gaze shift to the girl, and the second in command decided to push him further. "Well?"

Bankotsu made a quick decision, and the words spilled right out of his mouth. "We do what we should do. We destroy it."

His brothers smirked. But not him. He was too busy looking over at Hikari to notice anything. _"I know that I didn't make a good choice for her... but she'll just have to deal with it. I just hope that everything will be okay."_

He stood up and announced, "Alright, let's move out!"

A few minutes later, everyone was on their feet and walking. Well, actually, they were all riding on Ginkotsu. _"What, are they too lazy to even walk by themselves?" _Hikari thought in disgust.

She heard the Shichinintai's conversation from before. So far, she couldn't sense any villages nearby, and she was grateful for that. As long as there wasn't any village, no one would be harmed. If she ever sensed the slightest trace of a village up ahead, she would have to do something.

Ideas popped into her brain like hungry demons feasting on a human. _"Maybe I call yell out that I need to take a break, and when I come back, I'll say that the area isn't safe, and that we should change course... Nah, they won't listen to me anyways... Wait. That might actually work. After all, they need me to search for Naraku, right?"_

As soon as she thought of that, she felt anger rising up. How dare they use her for the same reason she helped Inuyasha! And why did they want to search for Naraku in the first place? Shouldn't they just go on with their lives?

She put that idea aside and went back to her planing. _"Alright, so maybe 'a break' won't work, but what if I say that I sense something bad coming ahead and that we should avoid it? They want to live, right? But... Wouldn't they want to see what it is first? They're always looking for a battle, too..._

_"Okay, on to the next one... How about I say that I need to take a break, but instead of saying that it'll be too dangerous here, why don't I just run really quick to the village and warn them about everything? They can evacuate and when I get back... Wait, I probably won't even have time to do all that! There are children and elders who will need to be escorted, and they'll only slow the others down... And there's no way that the Band of Seven will want to stop because of a mere woman..."_

Okay, so this was more complicated than she had thought. She knew that most of her plans won't work. So the only thing she could do was pray that they don't come across a village for the whole day...

"So? Can you feel anything?"

Hikari jumped. Bankotsu was staring at her. She knew it because she could feel his gaze on her. She decided that it would be best not to answer and to pretend that she didn't hear him.

"Well...?"

She inwardly groaned. Great. He knew that she heard him. She sighed and searched for anything that might be in their way. Nothing. Only a few weak demons and humans who will soon leave the area they're in.

"Weak demons," she mumbled. "That's it. Nothing else." She refrained herself from adding 'Don't ask me again'.

Bankotsu raised a brow and shrugged. Alright, so she's still holding the grudge. She'll get over it somehow... right?

For the next hour, Bankotsu kept on asking Hikari if she felt something every five minutes.

"Anything?"

"How about now?"

"Is there something interresting up ahead?"

"Hey! Are you listening to me? I asked you a question!"

She was just about at her limit. And so were the Band of Seven. He was just about to ask again. "So..."

Hikari jumped to her feet, faced him, and pointed an accusing finger at his chest. Everytime she said yelled a word out, she poked him. "**NO!** I can't feel **anything** right now! In case you haven't **noticed**, we haven't **moved** that much from when we were a **kilometer** away! So why don't you just **ask** me when we're **five** kilometers away, just to see what **difference** it makes! Until then, **you** can keep quiet! I can't **stand **having to answer the **same** question **over** and **over** again!"

Hikari huffed and breathed some air into her lungs as the men stared at her in shock. Ginkotsu stopped moving. Hikari could have sworn that she spotted them all take a step back. Bankotsu, who was used to these kind of tantrums coming from her, was the one who recovered the fastest. "Uhh... A-alright, then...?"

And, here we go again.

"'Alright then'? Is that all you have to say? I've been taken away from my friends, captured by mercenaries, and eaten food that looks like crap, and all you can actually think of is that? At least give me a break and let me off this thing!"

Bankotsu grabbed her hand and pulled it away from his chest. He yelled back, "What else do you expect me to say from a girl who just yelled at me? It's not like I see that everyday!"

Hikari shook her hand out of his and opened her mouth to yell at him again. But she sighed, and sat back down, her back facing him. "Never mind. Look, I don't feel anything, okay? And think before you ask something else."

Everything was silent for a moment, until Ginkotsu started moving again.

"Whoa," Suikotsu mumbled when everyone seemed to have lost their breath. "Is she... always like that?" he asked Bankotsu.

The young mercenary didn't answer, but then, he said, "Only... sometimes... when she's really pissed..."

"So... that was her really pissed side, just now?" Jakotsu whispered. Bankotsu nodded. "I think I like her calm side better."

His brothers all agreed.

_"Trust me," _Bankotsu inwardly said. _"Her calm side isn't her best side. It's when she's happy that you reallt get to see what she is. But I doubt that either of us will ever see that. Ever."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"What do you want?" Hikari growled.

The Band of Seven took a break to rest. Hikari wanted to take a walk and was able to convince Bankotsu that she would be fine on her own by glaring at him a few times. Of course, there was no way that her wishes would ever happen. Especially not with these men.

Ever since Hikari left, Bankotsu was spying on her and watching her every move. And from the very beginning, Hikari knew that he was there.

Bankotsu stepped out of his hiding spot and laughed nervously. "Oh, nothing, just checking..." He looked around and picked up a branch lying on the ground. "... How these branches might be useful one day."

Hikari facepalmed **(A/N: Well, you learn something new everyday, I guess :P)**. "That's a very smart excuse."

He had a stupid grin on his face. "I know."

She sighed and asked again, "What are you doing here?" _"Isn't he supposed to hate me?"_

He scratched the back of his head and sounded uncertain. "Well... I knew that I couldn't leave you alone, and I could've ordered someone to spy on you, but I knew that nobody would want to, since most of them were creeped out of all the yelling you did. So I guess that I was the only one who could go..."

She raised a brow. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's more to that, isn't there? You could've **forced** someone to spy on me, but you came on your own instead."

He chuckled. "Nothing ever gets past you, huh?"

Hikari rolled her eyes, and he continued, "We need to talk."

She looked away and asked, "Why? Everything is already said and done. There's isn't any need to talk."

Bankotsu's eyes were confused. "What do you mean by that?"

Hikari's voice started to tremble. "It means that I already know that you hate me! You don't need to explain how useless I am!"

His eyes widened. "What? Where did you get _that_ idea from? I never said that!"

Now, not only did her voice tremble, but her body started shaking. She couldn't stand all this. "It's obvious that that's the way it is! I couldn't save Kyoukotsu and you brought me here to make me and my friends suffer!"

Bankotsu frowned. "Well, Hikari, just this once, you're wrong. I'm not mad at you for anything you did."

She froze in shock. "W-what? You're... not...?"

He groaned, "Of course not! How can you think about something like that? Look, it's like you said, Kyoukotsu didn't trust you enough, so it was his own fault that he died. I know that you did your best on trying to save him, so it isn't your fault. You can read my mind to find proof, if you want to. Go on ahead, search. Is there any trace of hatred?"

Hikari hesitated before looking into his thoughts and searching for her answer. She couldn't feel any hatred or fury coming from him. She tried to search deeper, thinking that this was just a lie, or some kind of act. But no. Hatred was the one thing she couldn't find.

"See?" Bankotsu said innocently. "Nothing."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll believe you..." And she added, with a little hint of amusement, "For now."

He acted hurt and said, "For now? Why?"

Hikari giggled at his expression. "Oh, fine. Since you're _begging_ me."

He flinched and got closer to her. "What was that? A leader of mercenaries _never_ begs!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that so?" And since she knew that he wouldn't answer, she said, "Alright, I'm finished taking my own share of the air. Let's go back before your brothers suspect anything. My freedom was good while it lasted."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu still couldn't believe that Hikari would have thought that he hated her. Well, he couldn't blame her, though. He should have been mad at her, but somehow, he just couldn't. And he didn't know why.

He glanced at her beautiful form from the corner of his eye. Maybe it was because he really _had_ fallen for her, just as his brothers suspected it. He always doubted his feelings towards her, since he never knew if she lo- ummmm... if she was interrested in him just as he was in her.

Hikari was a lot calmer than she was before. She could breathe again, and she felt like as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. However, she was still on her guard. She may be able to trust Bankotsu, but she still couldn't trust his brothers.

Of course, she still searched for any human life around her, and so far, there was no village ahead. There may have been a village further to the South or the North, but the Band of Seven didn't come across them.

After a while, she decided to search again. She closed her eyes and focussed on the life around her. She could sense the Band fo Seven, and the aura of animals, of course. Searching for auras who weren't in their way was useless. So she went further to the West (where they were heading) to see if there was anything.

And her heart skipped a beat.

People. She can feel people. And not just two or three.

It was a whole village.

And the worse part was that it was only a kilometer away.

She forced herself to keep her mouth shut. If the Band of Seven ever heard her gasp, they would know that something was wrong.

_"How could I have not sensed it?" _she desperatly thought. _"It so close now... What do I do? With the current speed we're at, we'll arrive there in no time... Should I set one of my plans into action? Would it work? Oh, no..."_

"Hey! Look over there!" Jakotsu's voice sounded.

Hikari slowly opened her eyes and saw smoke rising into the sky. She saw this before in the village; the villagers were having a large camp fire to honor their ancestors. The Shichinintai seemed to have noticed it too. They knew what was lying ahead.

"Oi! Woman!" Suikotsu called. "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"

Ginkotsu stopped moving and Hikari didn't answer. And she didn't want to answer. She could bearly make out what he said anyways.

Suikotsu snorted. "Never mind. I shouldn't have asked."

"So, what do we do now Bankotsu?" Jakotsu asked.

Bankotsu was staring at Hikari, whose eyes were now wide. He knew that he said that they'd attack the village, but... Just a few minutes ago, Hikari forgave him for what he did, and now...

"Big Brother?"

He looked up. His brave face betrayed his words "Oh, well... "

Yet again, Renkotsu questioned him first. "Will we go and attack the village, or will we just act like we've never seen it?"

Bankotsu gave him a glare that clearly said 'Shut up'. His brothers thought that he was hesitating because of the girl. And they knew very well that that was the reason why. Bankotsu was able to imagine what was going on in their heads. They doubted his leadership.

He wasn't going to let this happen.

And he most certanly wasn't going to let Renkotsu make him look like a softy.

He suddenly announced, "Men, get ready!"

Everyone nodded, and Ginkotsu started rolling again.

Hikari stared at the ground. What did Bankotsu say? She didn't hear his decision. He didn't chose to kill the village, did he? She wasn't sure. But she knew that she would get the answer very soon. When she looked up, the roof of the entrance to the village was visible.

She didn't dare look at what the Band of Seven were doing. She was afraid of the answer she'll get.

"Who wants to go first?" Banktsu asked.

He didn't want to admit it, but the thought of having to fight and seeing blood again made excietement run through his body. He knew that it wasn't right, that he should be more concerned about Hikari, but he couldn't help it.

He tightened his grip on Banryuu's hilt and looked at his brothers. Everyone's eyes were filled with bloodthirst. And he knew that his eyes looked the same. At the time when Kyoukotsu was alive and sick, they've never attacked a village.

And now, after so many days of waiting, they were getting what they wanted.

Mercenaries only worked for warlords, but the Shichinintai was an exception. They lived to kill, and if they were ever bored, they'd go find a village to fill their thirst. They killed just to enjoy.

Hikari heard the screams of joy coming from in front of her. It wasn't very far now. She could see the bright light of the fire, even though she was staring at the ground again. She could already hear the laughter of the man and children, and the giggling of the women. Her heart slightly warmed up. _''They sound so happy..."_

And then, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the crowd, and all the laughter was replaced with screams of fear. The warmth in Hikari's heart vanished. Fear rose up in her as Ginkotsu got closer and closer to the village.

There were screams. Screams of fear, of agony, and of despair. Hikari glanced up, just once, and she had already had enough of this. The corpes were falling around her, like as if she was the one who killed them. The children cried for their parents, and men and woman called for their loved ones.

The one time he looked up, she spotted Jakotsu slicing the heads off of men. She watched in shock as their eyes rolled to the back of their heads, and as the blood poored and poored from their necks like a waterfall.

Bankotsu, however, was having the time of his life. He felt alive again, like as if his other half and him finally met again. The screams just made his excitement grow, and the flames were refected in his eyes. His halberd twirled and shone in the bright light of the fire as it was brought down on a man's head. Blood splattered on his face, but it didn't matter to him.

Hikari wanted to puke. She couldn't take all of this all at once. The fear was too great, and her heart began to beat like crazy. Her hands trembled and she wasn't thinking straight. She closed her eyes shut, hoping that when she opens them, it will all just be a dream. But no. Nothing disappeared, and everything was real.

Blood splatetred on her cheek and she stiffened. Her hand shook as it moved to the spot and touched the red liquid. It was still warm and fresh... Hikari was sure that she was going to puke there and then.

She felt so weak and vulnerable that she wanted to hug her legs to her chest and cry. But she couldn't move. She couldn't breathe, and yet she was still alive. She didn't want to see and she didn't want to hear. She was so scared...

Everywhere she would look, there would be red.

Blood.

_"So... much.. blood..."_

Why didn't she pass out then? Why was she still awake? Mukotsu's smoke should have reached her and knocked her out too. Or the smoke from the fire should have suffocated her. This suffering was too much for her to handle. So why did she have to stay awake?

It felt like an eternity before it was finally over. Hikari looked up from the ground and froze.

There were so many corpes lying on the ground...

If there were a few things that she'd remeber from this massacre, it would be the dead bodies, the screams, and how she couldn't do anything about the killing.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu took a huge gulp from his sake, sighed, and leaned back on the wall behind him. "Geez. There isn't anything left, is there?"

Jakotsu sighed with him. "Looks like it. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted."

The Band of Seven was gathered in a circle. They were happily chatting away about how the kill was great by drinking their sake. For example, Renkotsu was able to surprise a couple who were holding hands and burned them to a crisp.

Hikari wasn't with them. She recovered from her shock faster than she had expected. As soon she felt better, she started observing all the bodies, looking for any trace of life in them. But so far, there were none. And she couldn't sense anymore life around her. But she still thought that she should check again, just to make sure that her sensing wasn't mistaken.

Bankotsu said that they should leave her be, because you never know what mood she's in. So most of the band ignored her.

"There were plenty of people for everyone," said Renkotsu. "I think that that was enough to statisfy us."

There was a moment of silence, until everyone bursted out laughing. Nothing was _ever_ enough for them.

"I think that we need someone to poor the drinks for us," Suikotsu said as he glanced at Hikari, who was looking over another body. "Don't you?"

Hikari must have heard that, because she turned around and glared at him. "What do I look like, a slave?" she snapped.

She stomped off and looked over another corpse. Bankotsu's brothers stared at him, waiting for his reaction. Of course, they all expected the best from him. Bankotsu hated doing this, but he was doing this to conserve his pride.

He called to Hikari, "Well... You _are_ our captive!"

Hikari stiffened. Did he just say what she think he just said? But it was true, though...

Despite the protests coming from her heart, she slowly stood up and walked to the men. She sat down and poored some sake into Mukotsu's bowl. "Ah, that's better..." said the old man as he drank up.

Hikari stopped herself from yelling 'Aren't you a little too old to drink?' at him and from slapping the bowl out of his hands. Oh, how she hated this. To be forced to do something so stupid was just... Her jaw clenched as she gave the other men her sake as well.

When she got to Bankotsu, and when she was just about to give him the drink, he said, "You should give up on trying to see if there's anyone alive. Even if some people survived, they probably suffocated with the gas in the air."

Hikari stiffened, and she clenched her fists. She stopped pooring the sake, even though she still didn't finish. Bankotsu and the others blinked in confusion. They couldn't see her eyes since they were covered by her bangs.

And in a split second, she threw the bowl she was holding at Bankotsu's head.

He was completly unprepared for the attack. He yelped, but he managed to move his head out of the way. The bowl shattered on the wall behind him, and he whipped around to glare at Hikari. "Hey! What the hell was-"

But the girl was already walking away. She turned around one last time and snapped, "If you want to drink some sake, poor it yourself!" She stormed off into an alley and didn't look back.

The Shichinintai were left in shock. That girl went against Bankotsu's orders, and she didn't even seem to care.

This was the second time she reacted to their leader's orders. And both times, her reaction wasn't good. _"Is she always like this?" _they wondered.

"What should we do about her?" Renkotsu asked.

"One of you wil follow her, " said Bankotsu after he recovered from the shock. "Let's see... Jakotsu, you're going to after her."

"What?" The cross dresser wined. "Why me?"

"Because, everyone here got a turn to guard her except you!"

"That's not true! Mukotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu didn't!"

"Suikotsu and Renkotsu escorted her to us when she first came. And Mukotsu won't be able to last long with her, he's going to get tired soon."

In certain cases, Mukotsu would complain, saying that he would be fine, but this was an exception. He didn't want to go near that woman until she calmed down. Spying on her would be fine, but if she ever caught him looking at her from too close...

Long story short, he was just glad that he wasn't going to spy on Hikari.

Jakotsu pouted and stood up. "Fine. But I'd better get something out of this!" He took one last gulp of his sake before walking to the direction Hikari left.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Kagome, are you felling alright?" Sango asked her friend.

The miko lifted her gaze from the ground and smiled. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. No problem."

The Inutachi arrived at Kaede's village. They explained everything to the old woman and said everything that Hikari told them before they left. Kaede understood and said that the only thing they could do was do as Hikari told them.

Kagome was to go back to her era and stock the suplies. Then, the Inutachi would continue their journey, but to some other direction. They've already traveled south, so they have the Noth, East, and West to investigate. On their way, they will train for upcoming battles and prepare themselves to take Hikari back.

But for the moment, Kagome was lying on the grass with Sango as their other friends discussed what else they could do.

"You don't look like you're fine," Sango stated. "Did the Band of Seven do anything to you?"

"What?" Kagome sat up. "No, they didn't do anything..."

"I don't believe that."

Kagome sighed and brought her legs up to her chest. "They didn't do anything, so don't worry. Sure, I didn't really like being with them, but honestly, other than the food, my day wasn't as bad as I thought as it would be."

Sango's eyes widened. "How can you say something like that? Didn't they threaten you, or tie you up?"

"Actually... no. They didn't. They didn't talk to me or harm me. Mukotsu and Jakotsu stared at me sometimes, but I think that that was it. All I was able to do was eat, walk, and look around. Sometimes, I'd be able to rest."

Her friend's eyes went wider and her mouth gaped open. "They gave you permission to walk around? They gave you that much freedom?"

"Yup. But I've got to admit, it was pretty boring. There wasn't much to do, and we stayed where we were for the whole day. And I couldn't walk that far from them!"

Sango tilted her head. "You're right, that does sound a little boring. But if you were able to walk anywhere you wanted, how did you know that you could? You said that none of the Band of Seven talked to you."

Kagome smiled. "Oh, that. Well, I was talking with Bankotsu-"

"Bankotsu?" Sango jolted up. "He..."

"I can explain!" Kagome exclaimed before Sango can continued any further. Sango relaxed, and Kagome went on, "Bankotsu was the only one I talked to, since he was responsible of bringing the food to me."

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Are you going to eat or not?"

Kagome stared at the meat he was holding on a stick. Oh, how she wished she had her bag right now. There may not have been any food left in it, but she coul have at least found some candy or some snacks. Anything better than _this_.

"What's so wrong about it?" Bankotsu asked. "It's rabbit, just like any food."

It was rabbit, alright. It just looked... weird. It looked a little too... brown. And that wasn't a good sign.

"Did Mukotsu poison this?" she asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Bankotsu raised a brow. "Why would he? You're not going back to your friends until tonight, and until then, you're going to have to stay alive. And besides, I made sure that nobody touched your food. Now eat."

Kagome poked the dead rabbit and grimaced. She glared at him. "What if I don't want to eat?"

He growled. "Damn, you're stuborn."

She humphed and looked away. He groaned and scratched his head. "If all woman are like this, I don't want to get a wife."

Kagome whipped around and faced him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't understand how Inuyasha endures the pain of having woman around. Can't you take orders properly?"

"Of having woman around?" Kagome jumped up to her feet and glared at him. "Look here, mister 'I'm too macho to get a girl'! Woman can complain and can be a pain sometimes, but who looks after you when you're hurt or when you're feeling down? You men are too proud to accept help from someone who cares about you when they could leave you all alone in the dust!

"Who takes care of you around here? **You're** surrounded by your brothers, so what do you know about having a girl around? Oh, that's right, you had Hikari! Well, let me tell you, Hikari is a great friend and is the most caring person I've ever known! I can't imagine someone saying that she is annoying!"

She started taking deep breaths and looked at Bankotsu straight in the eye. He seemed shocked. Kagome remembered who he was, quickly took a step back, and blushed. _"Oh great. Screaming at the leader of a band of mercenaries was a great idea. I've just dug my own grave!" _

But no. Bankotsu bursted out laughing and in the end, Kagome was the one to stare in confusion. _"Why... is he laughing? What just happened?"_

When he clamed down, he had a smiled on his face. "I didn't understand that 'macho' part, but the rest... I can say that you're right. You wouldn't hear Hikari being called annoyed, but I'm and exception. Haven't you seen how she reacts when Inuyasha does something stupid?"

Kagome blinked, unsure if she should answer. And then, she thought about it. "Well... Now that you mention it... She does get really annoyed at Inuyasha when he complains about how slow we go."

"See? That just prooves my point. Hikari may be kind with you, her friend, but with men, that's another story. She can't stand people who are too stupid. And I can tell you, most of the men in this world makes stupid and arrogant decisions."

"I've already went though that," Kagome mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

Bankotsu chuckled and continued, "On the other hand, woman are completly different. You know what the best for people, but you're just to shy to say it out loud. You can't stand up for yourselves or fight back when you know that you're going to lose."

Kagome got mad again. "Excuse me? We don't fight back? What about what I'm doing right now? What about what I've been doing for the past few minutes? What do you call that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, so you and Hikari are different. But I'm talking about the majority."

"Then since me and Hikari aren't the 'majority', we don't need to talk anymore," she said as she sat down and finally took a bite out of her food. A sign that clearly said 'Our conversation is done, leave me alone'.

Bankotsu understood, but he didn't back down so easily. He sat down next to her, making sure that she was uncomfortable. His plan worked. Kagome flinced away and stuttered, "Wha... What are you doing?"

He smirked. "Oh, nothing. Just wondering how Inuyasha deals with your clothing. Honestly, just how does he hold 'himself'?"

Kagome tilted her head in confusion adn wondered, _"Hold himself...?" _And then, she understood what he meant. Her cheeks went red and Bankotsu snickered. "You... you..." she stuttered.

"I what?" He challenged. This was as fun as teasing Hikari. Only of he was with her, his head would have met the ground a lot sooner.

"You... pervert!" she exclaimed.

Bankotsu threw up his arms like an innocent little boy. "Hey, don't blame me. I'm not the only thinking about how easily you can turn guys on."

Kagome blushed harder. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "How does Inuyasha stand _me_? How does Hikari stand _you_? If you made comments like that every day, you wouldn't look as good as you are right now!"

Bankotsu glanced at her teasingly. "Oh? So you think that I look good?"

Her eye started twitching. Just how cocky is this guy? She groaned and looked away. "Never mind! Forget about it and just leave me alone! Aren't I supposed to be your captive?"

He didn't answer and watched her eat the disgusting food. She reacted to his words just as Hikari would. Like that sudden outburst, for example. Or how she retorts by asking questions that he may not be able to answer.

Sure, this girl was his captive, but that didn't mean that he couldn't have any fun with her. These days, there wasn't much to do.

But the strangest things was that Kagome didn't seem the least bit scared of him. _"Maybe she's already been in this situation before," _he thought._"I wouldn't be surprised, with the clothing she wears. Or the fact that she could sense jewel shards."_

Hikari and her were different in certain cases. Kagome is more of the shy type with strangers, only when someone doesn't treat her right, she can get pissed. Just like how pissed she was with Bankotsu. However, Hikari, on the other hand, can get mad at anyone who treats her or any of her friends badly.

Bankotsu decided that he should stop thinking and start heading back. Jakotsu or Renkotsu might question of what he's been up to. And he wasn't going to let them think that he did something perverted.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

"Well... he sounds like just some other normal guy," said Sango.

Kagome sighed. "He looks that way, but when he greeted me yesterday morning, he sounded like a regular mercenary to me. It was only at that time that he sounded kinda... nice."

"From the way that you described the whole thing, Bankotsu did sound kind."

"But you haven't told me what's been bothering you," Kagome's friend said in a worried tone. "I know that something is wrong when something is wrong. So what's wrong?"

Kagome giggled at what she said. "Okay, so you got me." Her smiled vanished as she spoke. "I'm really worried about Hikari. The Band of Seven wanted to trade me for Hikari, is that right?"

Sango nodded. "Nobody understood why they took you instead of Hikari right away, and it really bothered her... Oh, that's right!"

She had a little gleam in her eye. "Hikari told me everything about what she thought of Bankotsu last night."

Kagome suddenly grew very interrested into the conversation. She could have squealed right there and then if the villagers weren't around them. "So... What did you find out?'

Sango sighed. "Oh, just where do I start?"

*O*~*O*~*~*O*

Hikari looked around. _"Yeah... this looks like a good place."_

The clearing was surrounded by trees, and the breeze felt perfect. A small river went down the mountain, and fishes were seen flying over the waves. A very soothing area, Hikari would say. She placed her palm on the ground and formed a couple hundreds of wholes in the ground.

The wholes were the size of humain bodies.

She then walked over to the river and placed her hand in the water. She closed her eyes shut and concentrated. She went down the stream, and, just as she thought, found out that the river lead to the village that was once alive.

The Shichinintai were still drinking. They were still talking about they kills and their next plans.

And all of a sudden, Suikotsu spat out his drink on Ginkotsu.

The metal monster growled. "What the..."

"What the hell is that?" Suikotsu exclaimed as he pointed a... huge hand rising from the water which started to take the dead bodies. It took a few, and disappeared back into the water.

Everyone except Bankotsu stared in shock. The young leader took a sip of his drink and explained, "Ignore it. It's just Hikari."

His brothers whipped around and stared at him wide eyed. Mukotsu stuttered, "That woman can do... _that_?"

Bankotsu acted as if it were comletly normal. "Yeah, I've already told you, haven't I? Hikari can control water, fire, and earth. She can make out anything she wants with those three elements. Kinda like that hand you saw."

On the other side of the village, in the plains, Hikari was working.

She took all the dead bodies from the village with the hand made out of water, and as soon as it was filled, she took the bodies and placed each of them into a hole in the earth. Jakotsu was hidden in the trees and watched her work. _"Well... It doesn't look like she's going to run away for the moment. I'll just wait and see what's going to happen next."_

Hikari was fully aware of Jakotsu's presence. She just didn't bother taking care of him. As long as he didn't interfere with what she was doing, she'll leave him alone.

By the time half of the sun was visible over the horizon, Hikari was almost finished. Just one more corpse to go. She spent most of her time verifying that all the bodies were placed in a hole just their size. She couldn't take some other bodies, since some organs were slashed off, or turned into dust. She prayed for them, and now, she had to take care of a little girl.

She stared at the girl's face. Her face didn't have a scratch, but her right arm was heavily burned. Hikari thought, _"She would have survived with this kind of injury, but I guess that the air filled with gas suffocated her."_

And, she smiled sadly. There was something about this little girl that made her feel at peace. This girl's face reminded her about her own when she was young.

Hikari took one final look at her before gently placing her into the earth. She placed her palm to the ground, and in a second, all the holes were covered with dirt. The clearing didn't look like that it had dead bodies burried under it.

The healer sighed and wiped her forehead. _"It's finally over. The least I could do is give them a proper burrial. After all, I didn't do much when the killing happened..."_

Her mind went back to the massacre. She wasn't supposed to be so afraid. She should have helped some people make it ot alive, and yet, she couldn't do anything. All because she was too afraid.

Afraid of what, exactly?

She didn't realise that her fist was clenched until she asked herself that question. If she stayed here any longer, those thoughts will only come back to her.

All that time, Jakotsu stood there, looking at what she was doing. And he got really bored. He didn't know if he should head back, or stay there. Some of his brothers came to check what was taking so long, and he begged them to take his place.

Apparently, nobody had any mercy for the poor little cross dresser, and left him in the dust.

_"Honestly, it's just not fair!" _he complained. _"I've been spying on this girl longer than anyone else! Everybody took care of her for a few minutes, not for two hours!"_

Just when he was about to burst from the trees and yell 'Alright, that's it! We're leaving!', he saw her storming off back to camp. He breathed in a sighed of relief, and ran back to camp to make sure that he was going to get there before her.

Hikari certainly arrived after Jakotsu joined his brothers. But she didn't take any notice of the Shichinintai. Right now, she just wanted to be alone, not too far from them, but not too close, either.

When she got back to the village, all eyes were on her. She ignored everything.

Jakotsu told his brothers everything that happened just in time, and Bankotsu wondered why Hikari even bothered burrying the dead. She didn't even know them, and yet, she helped them, even after death. _"That's just how she is, I suppose."_

She walked past him, and Bankotsu said, "Where do you think you're going?"

Hikari stopped and slowly turned around. She snarled, "Somewhere away from here. And from you."

Then, they all saw some sort of dark energy form around her. And her blue necklace started to shake. They could also spot a few changes in her eyes. The Shichinintai stared in shock and froze.

The dark energy started feeling like a demonic aura.

Hikari turned around and started walking away again, but stopped on her tracks once more and said, "If you don't want something like this to happen again, I suggest that next time, you keep me out of the battle field."

And she ran off.

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_~DREAM~_**

Little ten-year-old Hikari was running to her hut. Wait until her mother hears about how her training went perfectly! She was able to take all her friends down in a minute! She was so proud of herself!

"Hikari, where are you heading?"

She smiled. "Hello, Lady Sasaki! Hi, Amaya! I'm going to report my training to my mother!"

Lady Sasaki was an old woman who taught Hikari about herbs when she was little. Despite her old appearance, she is actually an expert when it came to fighting and herbs. Amaya was her grand daughter, but also one of Hikari's best friends. They trained together ever since they were young.

The old woman giggled. "And I'm guessing that it was a success, as usual?"

Hikari puffed her chest out in pride. "Yup!"

"No fair! I wanted to train too!" Amaya complained. "Grandmother, can't we go and spar?"

"Of course, my dear. But right now, we need to take care of M. Daisuke. He's been feeling sick these days, remember?"

Amaya pouted, and Hikari assured her, "I know that you're going to do a great job, Amaya! Just like you always do!"

Lady Sasaki gave Hikari a little shove. "Well, then, you'd better get going! Don't keep your mother waiting any longer!"

"I will!"

"Mother! Mother!" She called before she ran into the hut. "Guess what?"

She ran to the door to take a few deep breaths, and forced herself to calm down. She couldn't look too excited. She had to look disciplined and act like a adult.

Hikari breathed in the air one last time before entering her home with a smile. "Mother!"

Her mother wasn't alone in the house. Another man was there too. But somehow... the atmosphere didn't feel right... Hikari was confused.

Before she could ask what was happening, her mother yelled, "Hikari, get out of here! Run!"

A split second later, her mother's heart was pierced with a blade. The blood poored out from all sides.

Hikari stared in complete shock. She couldn't think. What just... happened?

When she regained control over her mind, she ran to her mother, taking no notice to the man who killed her. She bent down next to her limp body and started shaking her. Her voice started trembling, "Mother? Mother! Please, wake up!"

Her screams started getting more and more desperate. "Mother? Mother!"

But it was no use. The light in Michiko's eyes were gone. A trail of blood slid down from her mouth and blood poored out of her chest. She looked like as if she was bathing in a pool of blood. Her skin was already starting to get cold. Hikari hated to see her like this.

She knew very well that her mother was gone. And she couldn't hold the tears any longer. She threw her head back, and yelled, releasing all her aguish at once. "NOOO!"

She buried her head in her bloody chest, just like how she used to do when she was little. She weaped, "No... This can't... You can't go... Please..."

Then, all of a sudden, she heard other screams coming from outside, and she smelled fire.

Just for a moment, she didn't care. She didn't care about anything or anyone. She wanted to be next to her mother as long as she could. Then, she lifted her gaze and looked outside. Yes, it was fire. And people needed her help. She couldn't save her mother. The least she could do was help outside.

She stood and walked out. This was what her mother would have wanted her to do.

But the tears still didn't stop falling. Her mother's smiling face came into her mind. Seeing her smile was so encouraging. Now, she needed to see that face more than ever.

When Hikari got outside, she couldn't see anything but red. She was able to clear out a few people, only... they were dead. Just like her mother.

Hikari froze and fell to her knees. She watched in horror as she saw Lady Sasaki burned to death, and some of the other elders getting killed right in front of her eyes. It was then that she lost all hope on saving them. If the elders couldn't handle it, what made her think that she could survive?

The screams were gut-wrenching. They pierced through her flesh and muscles and made her heart beat ten times faster.

She looked down at her feet and prayed that this was all a dream. This couldn't be happening. Their clan was so strong. That why they were called legendary healers. How did it end up like this?

The screams of agony envelopped her like sharp branches in a forest. She knew who all these screams belonged to. And that just made it worse.

Her tears didn't stop falling. Her chest hurt like hell and her throat was so dry. Her eyes hurt and her cheeks were soaked. She didn't know that crying would hurt this much. This was the first time she's ever let so many tears fall.

As she hear the fire crack and the screams, and her hopes started fading away. All her dreams about becoming a great L. Healer, hoping that one day, her name would be known for generations was fading away. She wanted to die there and then. If everyone else around her is dying, then why can't she just die too?

When everything was gone, she was surprised to see that she was still alive. The **only** one alive. She felt a presense above her and looked up at the three men she trusted the most. No- the three men that she _once_ trusted the most.

She felt like screaming at them- killing them, but she knew that she would never be able to survive if she engaged them into battle. And she was only able to whimper out, "Why? Why did you..."

The man who killed her mother smirked, "Because that's just how it is, my dear."

**_~END DREAM~_**

Hikari jumped up and gasped. Sweat covered her forehead and she gasped for air. Her eyes were wide. She felt a pain coming from her right shoulder and stiffened. The pain will go away soon...

She calmed down and sighed. She placed a head on her forehead and thought, _"Another dream..."_

"You okay?"

She jumped at Bankotsu's voice, She turned around and saw him staring at her. Her voice trembled, "D-don't s-scare me like that!"

Suprisingly, he apologized, "Sorry."

Hikari notice that they were alone. And it was the middle of the night. "Where are your brothers?" she asked.

"They're sleeping somewhere else. You ran off, and I couldn't just leave you alone, so I decided that I might as well get you. But you were alseep when I found you and I decided to sleep here too. Only, I couldn't sleep that long 'cause you started to whimper in your sleep..."

She flinched and quickly looked away. _"Did he hear everything I said? Oh no, what is he going to think of me now...?"_

"Hey," he suddenly said. His voice tone didn't sound as cheerfull as it usually was. "Are you... still mad at me for... bringing you along?"

"Huh?" Hikari looked confused for a moment, until she understood what he said. And she smiled. "Why would you think that I was mad at you?"

Bankotsu groaned and facepalmed. "You're smiling. You're **smiling**. I knew it! You are mad at me, aren't you?"

"What? No! I'm not!"

"Then why are you smiling?"

Hikari shrugged and giggled. "I just think that you look cute when you're worried."

Bankotsu stiffened. "I-I-I... I wasn't worried!"

She raised a brow. "Oh? Then what was that right there?"

"It was... umm..."

Hikari laughed. It was the first time she ever laughed in days. Mostly because of the stress she's been handling. Bankotsu was shocked, but then, chuckled.

He got closer to her and rested his hand on her arm. "Look, there's still a while left before the sun rises. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

Before she could protest, a yawn escaped from her mouth. She sighed and lied back down. She muttered, "Fine."

In a matter of minutes, Hikari was sleeping on Bankotsu's shoulder. Actually, Bankotsu layed her there until he was sure that she really was asleep. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled.

She wasn't mad at him.

She **wasn't** mad at **him**.

That was enough to make him smile even more. He pulled her closer to his chest and just for a moment, he could have sworn that he saw her smile. But one thing was still bothering him. If he wasn't the one that angered her when she returned from burrying corpes, then what was it?

He frowned. He was going to have to ask her about that tomorow.

And whether she liked it or not, she will answer to him.

* * *

**Now you probably think that I really like to torture Hikari. WRONG! She just really suffers in this chapter, but the relationship between her and the Shichinintai will get better soon. :)**

**I'm thinking that I'm writing too much... I mean, almost 9000 words every chapter? Holy cow.**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	11. Day 2

**Final exams are coming up fast... So much work to do... Must... study... Ok, that's it, I need a break -.-**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. **

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 10**

"Alright, start explaining why you looked so mad at me when you weren't," Bankotsu said as soon as Hikari stood up.

"What?" She was still half asleep.

When she woke up, Bankotsu was already up and staring at her, and she wondered why he seemed so curious. In some way, he almost looked worried about something. Sure last night, he was worried too, but this time, there was a little bit of suspicion in his eyes.

"You heard me," he said. "You looked really mad at me yesterday."

Now, she was fully awake. "Oh, that," she remembered. She looked down nervously. "Right. I was mad... Of course I was. I looked angry didn't I?"

Bankotsu groaned. "Spit it out! You know how I can't stand listening to people mumble about random shit!"

She rolled her eyes and tried hard to hide how nervous she looked. "There isn't a _particular_ reason. Really, maybe I was just mad that I couldn't burry all the bodies. Some of them were burned, and I couldn't take care of them. I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything for those people."

He narrowed his eyes and stared at her all funny again. Hikari took a step back. "What?'

"Did you know that you're really bad at lying?"

She stiffened. "I-I... What makes you say that I'm lying? I'm not lying!"

"And there you go again, another lie. Can't you just be honest?"

"I am totally-"

"Lying?" he cut her off. "Yes, you are. I'm not going to accept something as vague as what you said. You wouldn't be as mad as **that** for not being able to burry people in one piece. It's something bigger isn't it? Big enough to make you look... I don't know... kinda different."

Hikari flinched. "... Different? What... What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged. "There was this dark mist covering you when you talked to me. And then... I don't know, you looked kinda weirder than usual. What was that?"

She chocked down a gasp as her eyes widened in shock. _"They... saw it...?"_

She shook her head to take that idea out of her mind. _"No... that can't be right... I'll tell him that it was nothing. He was just imagining things. Yeah. That's probably it. There no way that he could've..."_

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

Hikari nodded and said, "I didn't look any different or anything. You were just imagining things, that's all."

Bankotsu stiffened. "There's no way that I could have been imagining it! My brothers saw it too! So just tell me what happened to make you look so angry!"

She sighed and looked away from him. "I guess... that I was mad... because I couldn't do anything... when everyone was killed." Her eyes darkened and she forced herself to keep her voice straight. "I knew that I had to do something when people were being killed, but I couldn't.

"I sat there staring at nothing like an idiot. I knew that I should have done something! But I couldn't move! I couldn't do anything. I felt so useless and weak that I couldn't even move a finger! I should've at least taken a few kids to safety before they were next, but I couldn't because I was frozen!"

Just as she said those words, she felt the same fury rising up again. She whispered, "I wasn't mad at anyone. If there was one person I should have been mad at, it was myself. For being such an idiot. For not doing anything to save at least one person. For... For..." she trailed off.

She didn't say anything else. And the only thing Bankotsu was able to do was sigh. A sigh of relief, maybe?

He walked up to her and held her in his arms. She trembled under his grasp, and he whispered into her ear in a comforting tone, "It wasn't your fault. It was perfectly normal that you reacted that way."

"But I'm a leagendary healer!" she retorted. "I'm supposed to be used to these kind of things..." _"Especially with everything I've went through..."_

"'Used to these kind of things'? I don't think so. You don't see an entire village being slayed everyday."

"You're right, though," he continued. "You could have done something. You could have kept someone alive. But what will happen to that one person? He or she will live with the burden of loosing his family and friends for the rest of his life. I'm sure that no one would have wanted to live that way."

The next words were forced out, "Resting in peace would have been a lot better than living with no one to live next to."

Hikari knew that he didn't believe in the afterlife or the other world. But she was thankful that he tried to cheer her up. And perhaps he was right. Maybe the villagers would have liked to rest in peace than live any longer on this world called hell.

He felt her stop shaking and she relaxed. She breathed out gently, "Thank you."

Bankotsu inwardly smirked and pulled her closer. She was acting so differently than usual. He's only seen this part of her a few times. He kissed her forehead. _"I can't stand seeing you in pain. I want you to keep that beautiful smile of yours, no matter what happens."_

When he looked down at her face, she was blushing. He smirked. _"Ah, so you're reading my mind now, aren't you?"_

She tried to push him away, but Bankotsu didn't move an inch. She stuttered, "W-we h-have to get g-going! If we're gone too long, your brothers will think that..."

He closed the gap between them in one swift movement and snickered when he saw her face go red again. "Let them think what they want. They can wait... Now that we've got more time to ourselves than before."

She looked down and hid her red face from him. She tried to sound angry. "S-stop saying things like that! It's not like we can stay together much longer! I'm used as a slave in your band, and I hardly have any freedom at all! We'll never have any free time if this goes on!"

Bankotsu stared at her in amusement. "So... Does that mean that even if you think that there isn't any chance of you and me together, you still want to be with me?"

Before Hikari knew what she was going to say, everything came out, "Of course I do! Out of all the guys who flirted with me, you're the only one who actually managed to grab my attention and to make me fall in love with you!"

Almost immediatly after she said that, she clamped her mouth with both of her hands. _"Shit. Please tell me that I just didn't say that out loud."_

He was just as shocked as she was. Only, he was praying that her words were true. Hikari was a girl who didn't share her feeling often, and now that everything she's kept inside shot out all of a sudden, it was quite hard to handle.

Anyways, it was just what Bankotsu had always wanted to hear.

His grip around her tightened and he smiled. He looked perfectly clam, but inside, he was practically screaming out in joy. He got his answer now. He was sure of it.

Hikari remained paralysed. She couldn't believe just how everything came out all at once. She was better than that, wasn't she?

But... maybe it was the way that he made her feel that made her act so confused. Everything was all so blurry when he was around. And just now, she couldn't think. She felt so warm in his arms... and she closed her eyes.

_"He feels warm..."_

**_FLASHBACK_**

"The best position to be in when you want to defend yourself is having a foot stretched out towards the front and the other in the back, and having your chest facing sideways... Yeah, just like that!"

Bankotsu was practicing his defensive stance with Hikari. He didn't train with Banryuu for the moment, since Hikari thought that he should try defending himself without his sword for a change. So far, he didn't seem too bad.

"You sure that this is right?" he asked. "It feels like it's giving more space for an attack..."

"Oh, don't worry, it always feels that way. But trust me, it's useful." She circled him and frowned. "Hold on... Your arm should be a little bit more like this..."

She took his right arm and moved it closer towards her. "And your other one should be closer to your chest..."

"Like this?" He shifted his left arm.

Hikari nodded aproovingly. "Yup! That's it! If you face your opponent sideways, they won't be able to see any opening. And even if you do get hit, there won't be any serious wounds. Like your chest, for example. It's facing somewhere else, so you should be fine."

Bankotsu nodded and shot out his arms as if he was fighting against someone in front of him. "This does look pretty useful when you can't use your sword."

She raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Did anything I ever showed you look useless?"

He chuckled. "Of course not. I'm just saying that this one is good if you can't fight with weapons."

She smiled and breathed into his ear, "Then why don't we try it out?"

"What?"

He turned his head to look at her, but she jumped off and faced him. Almost as soon as he turned to look at her in front of him, she stormed at him and tried to deliver a blow to his chest. Bankotsu was unprepared, but with a swing of his arm, Hikari flinched away.

With a satisfied look on her face, Hikari said, "See? Doesn't it work well?"

He smirked. "Don't worry, I've never doubted your moves. Not even from the start."

She smiled and sighed. She looked up at the darkening sky. The stars were now visible, and the light of the sun was fading away. _"Wow, the sun's already going to sleep..." _she thought.

She said, "I think that we'd better stop. Naraku's insects are close, and if we make any more noise, we'll alert them." She stretched her arms out and yawned. "We should probably get ready to rest."

Bankotsu was about to protest, but then, he yawned. He shook his head and said, "Alright, fine. But we're going to continue this tomorow."

"You already know that we will."

He watched her lay against a tree and sit down. She took off her swords' shethes and placed them next to her. He pulled out Banryuu from the ground and walked up to her. "Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nah, not today. I think I'll just eat something tomorow."

He shrugged and sat down right next to her.

He saw her flinch slightly and smirked. "What's wrong? Don't feel comfortable around a mercenary like me?"

Hikari blushed and looked away, which only made Bankotsu's grin widen. He absolutely loved teasing her. And he loved to see her blush even more. She mumbled under her breath, "D... don't act to cocky... It's not like that..."

He chuckled and moved a little closer to her until his mouth was at the level of her ear. He whispered in a husky tone and mouthed the words slowly, "Then... what is it... Hikari?"

She shivered as she felt his hot breath run down her neck, and he grinned. She felt her face go red and she stuttered, "I... I... It's just... getting a little cold... I don't think... that being too close... is a good... idea..."

She shouldn't have said that, because Bankotsu just looked more and more amused. He laid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him until their bodies touched. Hikari stiffened. "Wha... What are you doing?"

He smirked. "Well, since you're cold, we might as well warm your body up with... something."

Hikari was as red as a tomato, but Bankotsu seemed perfectly fine. In fact, he was enjoying this. Not because he could see how embarassed Hikari was, but because of something else. The warmth her body was emitting made him feel comfortable and warm inside, and being close to her felt...

He just couldn't explain how she made him feel. All his emotions twirled in his mind whenever he was close to her, and this was the closest they've been to each other. It made the blood rush in his veins, but it felt good.

Hikari, however, was so confused. Sometimes, he would be arrogant, cocky, and impatient, just as she expected. But some other times, he would be kind and gentle to her. Even though those times only happened rarely. He'd tease her and play with her, sometimes tackle her to the ground whenever she sounded too mad. And somehow, doing this would always make her smile.

She didn't understand how he could switch moods so suddenly. Out of all the other men she met, he was the most complicated one to deal with. The others were usually stood with one mood at a time, but Bankotsu seemed to be a few people in one. His aura shifted constantly. He was so difficult to understand.

And he made her go nuts.

Just now, for example, she said that being too close wasn't good idea because she was cold. **Did that make any sense at all? **

She felt her heart beat at an incredible speed. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths and to let the red drain out of her face. She decided to stay calm. If he could look okay even like this, then she can too.

Since she was feeling rather cold, she snuggled in a little closer to him. She might as well take Bankotsu's offer and make the best of it.

Suprisingly, he felt warm. Hot, even. She closed her eyes.

Unconsiously, she said, "You know, for a corpse, your body's pretty warm."

And then, she bit her bottom lip. Another thing that came out of her mouth without her even knowing. _"How many times did this happen already? And how long will this go on?" _she thought.

He raised a brow and stared at her. "Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"

Hikari looked down at her feet and blushed. "Umm... just take it as a compliment."

Bankotsu didn't say anything else. She sighed and closed her eyes again. Being in his arms really did feel... nice. She inwardly smiled. _"Oddly enough, I feel safe and warm whenever I'm with him."_

Bankotsu was lost in his thoughts. The way Hikari's head nestled in the crook of his neck felt like two puzzle pieces coming together. It was perfect. Nothing was missing. He smelled in the sweet sent of her hair and smiled.

When was the last time he'd ever felt this peaceful?

As more and more stars started forming in the sky, the two fell asleep, warm in each others arms.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

_"And he's still as warm as he was then," _Hikari thought.

Bankotsu noticed the smile on her face and smirked. "What are you thinking about now?"

She kept her eyes closed and snuggled closer to his chest. "Nothing much. Just wondering about a few things of the past..."

He didn't say anything else. He wanted this moment to last forever. He felt like he could hold her in his arms forever. If only if that were the case... but apparently, they're going to have to go back soon, sooner or later.

His mind drifted off to last night. He remembered how shocked she had seemed when she woke up from her nightmare, how she moaned, sweat and constantly rolled in the grass in her sleep. Looking at her suffer hurt something inside him.

He didn't want to see her in that state. He was a mercenary, and someone who loved to see people scream in fear. But somehow... seeing this one girl weep and groan in pain crushed him. She was the one and only person he didn't want to see suffer.

He wanted to wake her up that time, but he wasn't sure if that was a very good idea. He wasn't sure of what to do.

And then, he thought about what she could have dreamt of. It must have been horrible- that was for sure. Hikari wasn't a girl who could cry easily. In fact, Bankotsu never saw her cry once. Even when she was injured badly, he couldn't see any sign of a single tear.

Somehow, this dream had something to do with the village he and his brothers just killed. He was sure of it.

_"If that means that she's going to have more of these bad dreams... Then I'm never going to keep her with me when we're off killing something," _he swore. He was determined to Hikari in a good mood at all times.

He looked down at her face. He felt his heart warm up when he saw her face. He silently vowed, _"And if I can't even go out killing, then so be it. I'll stay here and never leave your side. Even if it means losing my job as a mercenary."_

They stayed in the same position for a few more moments, until Hikari broke them apart. "They're getting impatient, and Jakotsu's heading this way."

Bankotsu inwardly growled. They just couldn't leave him alone, could they? Was God the one making all these sweet moments break so easily? **(A/N: Nope. It's just me :3)**

He sighed as he heard Jakotsu's yelling. "BROTHER BANKOTSU! Where are you? Come on, don't we need to get going?"

He answered him, "I'll be there in a bit!"

Hikari took a step to her side and asked, with a little gleam in her eye, "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry!"

As she started walking away, he smirked. Instead of walking, he ran past her and yelled over his shoulder, "Race ya!"

She blinked in confusion, and then, she raised a brow. And she grinned. "You dare challenge **me** into a race? That will be one of the most biggest mistakes you'll ever make in your life, my dear Bankotsu," she said ironically.

With that, she ran past him, laughing. And he smirked. _"Looks like the real Hikari's back. For a while, at least."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I'll see you in a few days!"

Kagome waved 'bye' to her friends and jumped into the well. As she felt the blue light envelop her, she found herself in her own time in a matter of a few seconds.

She climbed up the ladder of the well and took a quick look outside. Sota was playing with that soccer ball of his again. So she guessed that it was either the weekend or that school was finsihed.

She waved to her brother and called, "Sota!"

The little boy turned around and his eyes beamed. "Hey, sis! Welcome back! It's been a while, huh?"

Now that Kagome thought about it, it really has been a while since the last time she visited her time. The last time was a little after the Inutachi met Hikari. So... maybe four or five weeks? Wow, it really has been a long time.

He ran to his sister and asked. "Where's Inuyasha? Did he come?"

She shook her head. "Not this time. I'm just going to be here for a few days to stock up on some food, medicine and some other things, so Inuyasha doesn't need to be here today."

As she walked away, Sota mumbled, "Somehow, I have a feeling that Inuyasha will be here even if you are here for a few days."

Kagome could already smell the food her mom was making in her house. She passed by the kitchen and greeted her mother, who must have been preparing dinner. "Hi Mom! I'm home!"

Her mother smiled up at her and pulled her daugther into a hug. "Hello, Kagome! It has been such a long time! How have you been? Nothing serious, I hope?"

Her family knew about the new trouble the Inutachi was facing. And ever since, they've been rather worried about her. Was it always going to be like this? It seemed that every time they defeated someone, another villain would appear.

Kagome hugged her mother back. "I'm fine, really. But I won't be staying here too long, though." She looked around the room and asked, "Where's grandpa?"

Her mom shrugged. "Oh, he's probably somewhere in the storage room again." Then, chaging the subject, she asked, "How is your new friend? The one you told me about last time?"

Kagome suddenly felt a very heavy lump in her throat. She muttered out nervously, "Well... um... Things haven't bing going quite well..." Her mother urged her to continue with a look, and she said, "She's... been captured..."

Her mother gasped. "Oh, no. Is she going to be okay?"

Her daughter gave her a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine. Hikari is strong, and she can deal with anything." _"I hope."_

Mom nodded. "Well, alright then..."

"I have to start getting ready, so I'll be in my room if you need me."

Kagome started walking up the stairs, until she heard her mother calling her, "Oh, and Kagome!"

"Yes?"

"You know that you're going to have to go to school tomorow, right?"

She inwardly sighed. "Yeah, I know!"

In the feudal era, the Inutachi, along with Kaede, were discussing their plans. They all gathered in Kaede's hut and asked the old priestess what they should do as soon as their miko friend arrived.

"It is simple," she answered. "We do as Hikari told ye and wait for a week until we start searching for her. But it will take a while before we find her, so I suggest ye continue your journey and keep a look out for any sign of her. "

"It sounds pretty easy, but it's more complicated then it looks," said Miroku. "Hikari is now with the Band of Seven, we can't forget that. And taking her back isn't going to be a piece of cake."

Kohaku nodded. "In that case, we'll have to train harder. And think about strategy. The Band of Seven are six now, but they still have the upper hand. After all, they're stronger than before. Even if I was able to get Kyoukotsu's chest real quick, I got him from behind. We can't face them head on."

"I'll just use _Meido Zangetsuha _on them," Inuyasha boasted. "It won't take any longer than snaping a branch in half."

"But we can't do that!" Sango exclaimed.

They all turned to stare at her. "Why not?" the half demon asked.

Sango blushed. She couldn't tell them, could she? She only protested because she thought that killing the Shichinintai, especially Bankotsu, right before Hikari's very eyes would make her suffer. When Hikari told her everything about the relationship between her and the young mercenary, she almost looked... dreamy. Happy.

And in love.

There is no way that Sango was ever going to let Hikari loose the one person she ever fell in love with. Back when they were young, the young boys always tried to impress her. And none of them seemed to interest her the least bit.

And now, Hikari finally found someone she might spend her life with. Even though Bankotsu is a, cold, bloodthisty, and maybe heartless mercenary, she still loved him. Hikari has already lost enough people she loved six years ago. Sango will not allow anyone else she loved to die.

Kaede seemed to have read her mind, and said, "_Meido Zangetsuha _will send everyone around ye to the other world. If ye cannot control this power, Inuyasha, others shall be sucked in as well. We cannot allow anyone to die by a simple accient."

Sango smiled gratefully at the priestess, and the old woman smiled back.

The half demon snorted. "Feh. Fine. But whether we kill the Band of Seven or not we're still going to have to get Hikari back. We won't be able to contine our search any faster without her."

Miroku nodded. "Our first goal is to get her back. How about this? When we finally meet the Band of Seven, we battle. Everyone will fight, but one of us will be kept behind. Since everyone's busy fighthing, that one person can go searching for Hikari, since she's obviouslly going to be hidden somwhere. Then, when Hikari is free, we flee."

"We flee," Inuyasha said, "But not without taking a few lives first."

"Okay, now youu're just thinking stupid," Shippou mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "We can't just think about killing all the time. This is a rescue misson, remember?"

Inuyasha wacked him on his head to shut him up. "OW! What did I say wrong? I was just telling the truth!"

He didn't want too admit it, but the lttle fox demon was right. He wasn't thinking properly. He shouldn't think about killing his enemies immediatly. Their top goal is to fid out who resurrected them. What he just said right now... Wasnt that what a **mercenary** would have said?

He shook that idea out of his mind. No. He wasn't like Bankotsu or ay of the Shichinintai. He was better than them. Or was he...?

"I agree with Miroku's plan," said Sango. "But someone's obviously going to be guarding Hikari. We all have to get ready then."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I've just noticed something," Jakotsu whispered. "The girl looks a lot better than from yesterday."

Sikotsu snorted. "Ya think?"

Today, Hikari wasn't traveling on Gikotsu's metal body. She had permission to walk ahead of the group. As long as Bankotsu stayed next to her when she walked. She was able to convince their leader to let her walk. She said that she was tired of not having to move, and that she was poitive that her legs were going to fall off if she didn't start moving again.

Everyone knew that she was exagerating, but just to make her shut up, they were going to let her do what she wanted just this once.

So there they were, looking at their leader walking next to a woman.

"It may be because we've let her do what she wanted for once," said Renkotsu. "She's always been arguing about not having enough freedom."

"What are you three mumbling about back there?"

They all flinched at their leader's voice. "Nothing!"

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes at them, and shrugged. Everyone started walking again. His brothers sighed in relief. For some reason, Bankotsu seemed more... protective of the girl than before. He would get suspicious of anything his brothers did.

"Does anyone know why he's acting that way?" Mukotsu asked a little after their leader turned his back to them.

"Maybe he just wants to protect the girl because he thinks that we'll hurt her...?" Suikostu guessed.

"Gersh!" Ginkotsu agreed.

"But why would he want to protect her?" Jakotsu wondered. "He said that she's strong, so she can take care of herself."

Renkotsu shrugged. "Maybe it's because he lied to us. Maybe she's just really weak."

Jakotsu was about to protest, saying that there was no way that Bankotsu would ever lie to his brothers, but the ground started trembling. It rumbled and rumbled under their feet, and made some of them lost the men balance and feel off Ginkotsu.

A few seconds later, everything stopped. Everyone's eyes were wide. _"What... was that?"_

**"Me?** **Weak?"**

The men looked up to see Hikari facing them, a hand resting on her chest as if she was insulted. She and Bankotsu seemed to be completly calm and uneffected from the earthquake. And then, Renkotsu understood. He growled. _"Of course. She has the power to make __the ground shake under our feet."_

"Now what makes you think that I'm weak?'' She kept her tone controlled. These men are _not_ getting out of this so easily.

Nobody answered. Bankotsu sighed. Oh well, he might as well watch where this is going.

Hikari continued questionning them. "Well?"

And they still didn't say anything. What _could_ they say? 'Oh, just because we've never seen you in action, and the fact that you're a girl makes it pretty obvious that you're weak'? Ehehe... No. They don't want to see her angry again.

She already guessed their answer, even without looking into their minds. "Fine, then. I'm guessing that you want to see me fight?"

The men's eyes widened. Even Bankotsu seemed a little shocked.

Hikari waited for them to say something. If they wanted to see her in action, she might as well give them what they wanted. Anything to prove that she was anything but _weak_. _"And besides," _she said to herself. _"A little sparring might lighten up my mood. Well, 'sparring', unless they try to kill me."_

The men didn't say anything, but their minds gave them away. They were waiting for a fight. Waiting for a chance to finally see her battle. Waiting to see if Bankotsu really was telling them the truth. And all this waiting was almost unbearable.

The L. Healer grinned and started unsheathing her water blade. "Tell you what. We'll do two rounds. In the first round, you'll all attack me at once, and I'll only stay on the defensive side. In the second one, I'll go against all of you one on one. How does that sound?"

The members of the Shichinintai stared at each other. They weren't thinking of turning the offer down, but they wondered if this girl can take all of their attacks. Would she even live? Their eyes were filled with doubt, and Hikari could clearly see it.

So just to add a little bit more spice to the situation, she said ironically, "Oh, come on. Don't tell me that the men of the **great **Band of Seven are **scared **of a **weak little **girl?"

They all stiffened.

Jakotsu was the first to react. His sword was already out, and his Jakotsutou shot out at her. **"Wretch! How _dare_ you!"**

Hikari blocked the attack just in time. Her two swords were out, and she just had enough time to block his blades. She flinched slightly when his sword came in contact with hers. _"He's gotten stronger, alright. And little bit faster too. If I want to run away from him, I'll just have to be faster."_

She jumped back, and almost immediatly, a canon was thrown at her feet. Her eyes widened, and she jumped even further. Another one came at her, and after jumping out of the way a few more times, a giant cloud of smoke was surrounding her. _"Damn... I can't see anything..." _She started rubbing her eyes. _"And my vision's getting blurry... ? !"_

She closed her eyes shut and put her all senses wide alert. _"Clever," _she thought. _"Hiding Mukotsu's poison in all this smoke so that I can't see the difference between the two. Smart. Too bad for them that I can still fight even without my sight."_

It was quiet. All she could hear was the small popping sound of the little fire sparks. She got into a defensive stance, placed her fire blade in front of her body, and placed her water blade behind her. Hikari could feel that the men were keeping their distances. They wanted to make a surprise attack.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, Suikotsu's claws came down on her.

With her eyes kept closed, she blocked his claws with her fire blade and stayed alert at her surroundings. _"If he's here, then that must mean that another one must be..."_

She didn't get to finish. Suikotsu had the upper hand when it came to strength. Hikari let go and jumped back, only to be slashed lightly across her cheek by one of Ginkotsu's weapons. She clenched her teeth. So they were coming at her from all sides.

_"They aren't going easy one me," _she thought. _"Well, that's to be expected. Especially after what I said to them. Since I was the one who challenged them, they know that they can't be blamed if I die."_

The smoke was lifted slightly, but it still wasn't enough for Hikari to open her eyes yet. She may be able to sense auras of living things, but not poison. She wasn't sure if it was safe yet. Who knows, maybe there was some sort of other poison out there.

Hikari got her answer.

The air suddenly started suffocating her.

One little gasp was able to suck out half of the air from her lungs. She started coughing violently. She couldn't stay there any longer. If she did, then she might as well...

No. She wouldn't let that happen.

She let her senses go wide around her. Mukotsu's aura was right up ahead of her. And then, she sensed for anything that was behind her. Jakotsu was a standing a little aside from where she wanted to go, but she guessed that it will have to do.

She ran as fast as she could to Jakotsu without inhaling a single breath. She had to get as far away she possibly could from Mukotsu if she wanted to survive out of this poison. As she ran, she saw a little flicker of light getting brighter and brighter.

Her way out.

As soon as she felt the dark smoke envelopping her disappear, she took a deep breath of air, hoping that it wasn't poisoned as well. Her eyes burst open in shock.

Thank Buddah that it wasn't.

Jakotsu gasped when he saw her burst out of the dark cloud. And he thought that the next move would be from him. "How... How did you..."

Hikari jumped back and held out her two blades in front of her, readying for any attack. She took in quick deep breaths and her eyes sight was still blurry from seeing the sunlight all in one shot. This was a perfect chance to attack her. But suprisingly, Jakotsu didn't do anything. _He_ may have not, but _Renkotsu_ surely did.

His fire threads came from behind her and caught her by surprise.

She yelped as the threads pulled her arms back. She couldn't move her arms at all. And now, Jakotsu could fire at her chest without a chance of missing. And her own weapons were useless. She cursed under her breath. _"Oh, he's good. Getting me from behind to make my blades useless. Clever."_

She may not have been able to see Renkotsu, but she heard his voice from behind, "Jakotsu! Get her!"

Jakotsu snapped out of it and blinked. "Oh, right!"

The cross dresser lifted his sword up and got ready. Hikari smirked. _"They may have me right where they want me... However..."_

Just as the snake-like sword came down, and just as it was about to hit her, a giant wall of earth rose up from the ground to protect her. Jakotsutou clashed against the earth and went back to its wielder.

Hikari grinned at the two men's shocked faces. Renkotsu was shocked enough to let his grip loosen on the threads. _"Of course... She can control ther earth even without placing her hands on the ground... she can easily control it as long as she had contact with it... Her feet were still on the ground..."_

Hikari saw her chance to escape, and she quickly pulled her arms to her chest to get rid of the metal fire and broke free.

_"I can't go back into the smoke," _she told herself. _"And there must be someone waiting for me up ahead. So the only place I can go is..."_

She decided to chose her timing carefully. And now was the perfect time to get out of there. She charged at Jakotsu head on. His eyes widened and he brought his sword in front in case she attacked. But she didn't.

She ran straight past him and didn't even bother casting a second glance at him.

He stared at her from over his shoulder and stood there. It took him a while before whatever happened finally got into his head. And when it did he felt insulted. And pissed. "**HEY!** Go on and ignore me, why don't you! You foul, disguting, wretched..."

Hikari giggled softly. This was the best fun she's had in really long time. Sparring always was her favorite thing to do. The only problem was that she never found anyone strong enough to battle with. Other than Bankotsu, of course.

She stopped on her tracks and turned around to face Jakotsu again, but only this time, someone else was there. She was going to have to deal with Suikotsu now. When she searched for anyone else nearby, she could sense Ginkotsu's aura getting close.

_"Two against one again, huh?"_

Hikari was ready. Suikotsu charged at her and was able to make her take a few steps back. If she went any further, she'd fall straight into Ginkotsu's hands... er... canons, most likely. She would't be able to face a huge tank head on.

Suikotsu kept on pushing her back, and she knew that she had to stand her ground. It took her all she had to stop her feet from going any further. She quickly glanced over her shoulder, and found something sparkling once... twice...

Her eyes widened.

Before the light could blink a third time, she jumped out of Suikotsu's way. She closed her eyes and hear a loud 'BOOM' from behind her. She felt little sparks of fire brushing her skin and flinched slightly as they touched the wound on her cheek.

She didn't know if Suikotsu was able to get away from the attack fast enough, but she didn't care. When she opened her eyes again, she saw some sort of gas starting to form around her.

_"Shit, not again!"_

She jumped as far as she could and looked around. Good. No smoke here. And nobody here either. They were all into hiding again. _"They know how to work together, that's for sure. I just hope that I can keep this up."_

She saw a shadow slowly making its way towards her. She braced herself for another attack.

A few moments later, Bankotsu appeared. His Banryuu rested on his shoulder, as usual. Hikari stood firm. _"Great. I've already lost a pretty big amount of energy fighting the others. Now I have to go aginst **him**."_

Bankotsu continued walking towards her, but then, stopped. He sighed. "Alright, I think that's enough for one day. We've stopped for a break, now let's get moving again."

Hikari blinked in surprise. Was this a trap? No... He didn't look like he as joking... And yet he was the one person who didn't attack her...

She shrugged the confusion away and placed her swords back in their sheathes. She could hear the rest of the members of the Band of Seven emerging from their hiding spots. Most of them were grumbling about how they weren't satisfied.

Bankotsu hear them and said, "Hey! I don't want to hear any complaining. We're going whether you like it or not."

"Oh, but come on, Bankotsu!" Jakotsu whinned. "We didn't have much fun! We were supposed to go one on one with her after this round, remember?"

"That's right," Renkotsu added. "She said it herself. She was on the defensive side. We haven't seen her attacking us yet."

Hikari was surprised that they even took her suggestion seriously. They all looked like they were looking forward to this moment. Huh. Must be because she teased them a little too much.

"We're moving," the leader said in a tone that clearly said 'Don't say anything about it or you'll piss me off and I'll kill you'.

Jakotsu sighed in defeat. He wanted to see what this girl really was and what Bankotsu saw in her. Oh, well. Perhaps some other time. The rest of his brothers were thinking the same thing as well, but they just didn't show it.

Hikari felt their disappointment and giggled softly enough so that no one could hear it. Their auras almost felt _childish_ now. She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted to continued this too. And right now. _"There's only one thing I can do, then..."_

She turned to the leader, eyes blinking. "Oh, come on, Bankotsu, why ruin all the fun?"

Bankotsu blinked. "What?"

"I said so myself that I'd go against them. I don't want to go back on my word."

"We need to keep moving if we want to find who-"

"And that person can wait," Hikari interrupted. "Besides, I think that resting a little will do everyone some good, don't you think?"

Oh, great. Now _she_ was trying to go against him. And she was winning. But he wasn't about to go down without a fight. "We have enough time to rest at night. Right now, we have to-"

Hikari pouted and turned her back to him. She said in a childish tone, "Pff... You're no fun anymore."

Bankotsu was about to burst. Why that little... He was just about to yell at her again, but decided against it. Keep calm... keep calm... Okay, that's better. He should have known better than to try to argue with Hikari. She would always win.

He sighed. "Fine. But we'll rest for a while first. That cut on your cheek is going to need a little bit of time to cicatrize. Then, you can do what you want."

Hikari touched the wound on her cheek, and felt a tiny drop of blood dripping down. She smiled. "Just a little scratch. This is nothing. It won't take long to get better. At least the very least five minutes."

"It still think that you should try covering it or whatever you healers do."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do for this."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Hey! Kagome!"

Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi greeted their friend as she entered the classroom.

Kagome smiled. "Hi. What's up?"

"We should be the ones asking you that," said Yuka. "How are you feeling from that psosiarisis?"

"Eh? Psosia-what?"

"She means 'psoriasis'," Ayumi corrected. "You know, that skin disease? I heard that it was really contagious and that it could have even caused skin cancer. Or even death!"

"We were so worried about you!" Eri exclaimed. "You were gone for nearly a month! Well, then again, you were always in these type of situations. And no matter what, you always survived."

Kagome had a drop of sweat on her head. "Oh... well... I guess that it took longer for me to get better than I thought..." _"Seriously, Grandpa, couldn't you just get something that might not make them panic?"_

"At least you're here again," Yuka smiled. "And just in time too."

The miko froze. "Something tells me that you're going to tell me something I won't like."

Eri smiled. "A new science test tomorow."

Kagome could have fallen to her knees and yelled 'NOOO!' to the sky, but of course, she was raised better than that. Her head slopped down. "Great. Why does it feel like everytime I come back there's just something waiting for me?"

"Aw, cheer up!" Ayumi placed her hand on her friend's soulder. "We'll study all together tonight at your house. That way, you won't be alone on learning some things."

Kagome looked up at her friends, eyes filled with hope. "You'd do that for me?"

The three girls all smiled. "Sure we would! What are friends for?"

She froze. Something wasn't right. Their smiles... they were smiling too much... a little too much... oh no... "Let me guess... You're going to say 'on one condition', right?"

"Yup!"

She sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"We can study together... as long as you tell us a few things about Mr. Possesive."

"Alright, fine." Her studies depended on this. A little bit of information wouldn't hurt, right?

The bell rang.

Quickly, Yuka said, "Kagome, so it's at your place, five o'clock, okay?"

Kagome smiled. "Sure, that's fine."

* * *

**Finally! I feel so much better after writing this :)**

**So you have it, Chapter 10. Hope you liked it (translation: Review plz~!) **

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	12. Battles And Tests

**Vacations are finally here! YES! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. **

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 11**

"Who wants to go first?"

"Hikari, I'm not sure if your cheek is any better than it was before," said Bankotsu.

"I know, but it's just to decide earlier, that's all," Hikari replied. "So? Who should it be?"

The members of the Band of Seven glanced at each other. Neither of them wanted to go first.

"I think that we sould start with the weakest and get to the strongest of us all afterwards, " Renkotsu suggested. "It's no use to go against someone strong and right after that, against someone weaker. That wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Everyone turned to look at Mukotsu. He froze. "Are you saying that I am the weakest of us all?"

"Well, now that Kyoukotsu's dead, you should be the first one to go," Jakotsu pointed out.

Mukotsu looked like he was about to argue, but Renkotsu cut him off. "You're the weakest when it comes to physics. In this case, all weaknesses count and for both humans and demons, you need physics if you want to survive."

The old man was starting to get furious. "I am not weak in any case. Why can't someone else go?"

Hikari sighed.

They all stared at her.

She took out her water blade and rested it on her shoulder. "Look, strength isn't the one thing you need in a battle. You need strategy. And everything depends on the weapons you have. For example, you, Mukotsu, have different types of poison you can use. They can be strong once you use them at the right timing and place. But even without timing, they can still be pretty useful.

"In fact, they're stong enough to make even me feel dizzy. If you chose what type of poison you're going to use wisely, you might actually be able to do some damage."

She streatched her arms out and yawned. "Well? Are you going to be first or not?"

Mukotsu still seemed unsure, but the anger in his eyes disappeared. He nodded. "Very well. I'll do it."

She smiled. "Good."

She started walking to the clearing. It was the perfect place to have a battle. Mukotsu followed very slowly, taking his time to look at his bottles of posion and choosing which ones would be good for a match like this.

Bankotsu would never accept any killing today, so poisons which can easily kill someone was out of the league. Perhaps a few that affect the skin or eyes. Or maybe some who suffocate, like the one he used before.

Hikari stood there waiting for him to make the first move. His brothers stared at them and waited for some action. And suddenly, Mukotsu grew nervous. He never really liked being the center of attention of anything. Unless, of course, if it were women.

"Are you going to take the first move or not?" Hikari asked impatiently.

Mukotsu could only stutter a 'Er...'

She sighed. "Alright, fine, I'll start."

A split second later, Hikari wasn't where she was standing. She was by Mukotsu's right side.

The old man was shocked, but he still had enough time to take a bottle of poison and shoot it at her. The smoke was gone in a few seconds, and Hikari wasn't there. The Shichinintai wasn't surprised, though.

A moment later, she reappeared, but above Mukotsu's head. Both of her swords were out now and she was about to attack. Mukotsu wan't going to let that happen. He shot another one of his poisons at her.

And again, Hikari dogged it succesfully.

This went on and on a few more times, until Hikari had had enough. It was time to put an end to this.

Mukotsu knew very well that she was getting tired of this. He thought carefully, _"She was only playing with until just now. She'll give me the finishing blow if we go one like this. That is, unless, I get her first. What should I use...?"_

Before he had the chance to take anything, Hikari disappeared completly from his sight. No matter where he looked, she just wasn't there. _"Where... did she go?"_

He heard Jakotsu's alearted voice yelling out to him, "Mukotsu, behind you!"

But the old man couldn't turn around. He was too slow. Before he knew it, a tiny gust of wind blew at the back of his head, and something cold and sharp was pressed agaisnt his neck. He froze.

"There. It's over."

Mukotsu closed his eyes and waited for the impact to come. His heart beat at an incredible speed. He was going to be killed by this girl? He never thought that he would die like this. He thought that his life would end by an illness or his old age, but by a girl like this?

The impact never came, and he heard Hikari say, "Haha. Very funny. We were sparring, remember? That means that we don't kill. And besides, I'm a legendary healer. I would never kill humans unless it's really necessary."

She removed her blade from his neck and rested it on her shoulder. When she saw that he didn't move, she asked. "You aren't dead. You can still move, in case you haven't noticed. Your turn's over."

He still didn't move. Hikari wondered what happened to him. She made her way to his face, and waved her hand at his eyes. "Hey, you okay?"

He was still alive, she was sure of that. His aura was still alive, and he was fine. He was just... a little too shocked. She poked him gently, and then...

Mukotsu fainted.

He fell to the floor, his face white with fear. The Band of Seven stared in shock. "You killed him!" Jakotsu yelled in horror.

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Yes, and it was a very peaceful and merciful death. Just look at how peaceful he looks. Geez. He's just very shocked. Look, he's still breathing."

She pointed at his chest and poked him lightly. His chest slowly heaved up and down. With a satisfied look on her face, Hikari said, "See? He'll be fine."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, who's next?" Hikari asked.

"That would be Ginkotsu," said Renkotsu. "But I don't see any possible way you can get pass his defences. If you try to kill him, you may be able to do a little bit of damage. But you can't possibly get through him."

"Gersh!" Ginkotsu agreed.

She snorted. "Don't be so cocky. If Koga was able to defeat him, I'll be capable of doing something too. Ginkotsu still survived, even after Koga planted his head to the ground. If his jewel shard wasn't shot out, he would have had a chance to survive back then."

Renkotsu and Ginkotsu flinched. Just... how did she know all that? They both glanced at their leader. Did he give everything away?

Bankotsu caught them looking at him, and he shrugged. "Don't ask me how she knows all that. She has her own ways to gather useful information. I didn't know how Ginkotsu died either."

Hikari had a malicious look in her eye. "So, shall we begin?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"That's that... and that is... that..." Kagome mumbled to herself. "And that is... ARGH, I don't understand anything of this!"

"I don't blame you," Yuka said as she passed on to another page of her notebook. "It's complicated at first, but once you do a little reaserach, it gets easy to understand."

"But I don't have any time to reasearch information!" Kagome complained. "I only have a few hours to study!"

"That's why we're here," said Ayumi with a smile. "Ask us anything you want to know about."

"How about this?" She asked as she pointed to something in her notebook.

"Oh, that..." said Eri. "It takes some time to understand, and a lot of questions, but you should be able to get it right."

Kagome groaned and sloped onto her bed. "I'm never going to finsh this."

"Oh, come on," Yuka encouraged. "You want to get a good score, right? Then you should stop whining and start studying!"

"But just to calm you down a little bit..." Eri smiled maliciously. "Why don't you tell us more about your boyfriend?"

She sighed. "Fine. But right after this, we're getting back to work."

All three girls nodded viciously and stared at her with wide unblinking eyes. They absolutely wanted to know more about him. And when he was going to come back. He seemed like a pretty interesting guy, especially with those little white ears of his and his golden eyes.

"Tell us more about how he is," said Yuka. "Other than the fact that he's over protective and all."

Kagome looked deep in thought. "I already told you everything about him. What else do you want me to say?"

"How about... you tell us how he's like with other people?" Eri asked.

Oh, this was easy. "He's pretty nice with some people he doesn't know well, but most of the time, he's arrogant, selfish and a real pain in my butt. Whenever he shows his soft side, he instantly tries to hide it by saying something stupid."

"We already know that he's selfish and all, but what about his attitude with friends?" Ayumi asked, eyes glowing.

"Oh, well..." Kagome thought about it. "It takes a while to gain his trust and to become good friends with him. But once you are good friends with him, he'll do anything to protect you, and he'll never betray you."

"That's kinda hard to believe. Especially after you said that he still chases his ex," Yuka mumbled.

Kagome froze. She looked down and tried to hide her sadness. "He... he doesn't chase her anymore..."

"Really?" Eri's eyes widened in joy. "That's great! What happened?"

She shouldn't have said that Inuyasha would never betray anyone. Kagome knew that it would only bring pain to her. And what could she say right now? 'Oh, his girlfriend died, that's all'? Kikyo wasn't Kagome's best friend, but it still hurt to mention her.

"She... um... left," she mumbled.

"Okay, enough with his girlfriend," Ayumi interrupted. "I asked about his friends."

Kagome inwardly sighed in relief, thankful for the chage of subject. "Oh, right. Well, like I said, he doesn't betray anyone so easily, as long as they don't betray him. He cooperates really well with people when it comes to thinking, and... well... I can't think of anything else..."

"Oh, come on, there's got to be more," Eri urged.

"I think that's enough talking for now," Yuka smiled. "We should probably get back to work if we want Kagome to pass."

Kagome smiled. "Then, back to work!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Ugh... where am I?" Mukotsu groaned.

"So you're finally awake, eh, Mukotsu?" Jakotsu glanced at the old man from the corner of his eye. "Kinda late, though. You already missed Ginkotsu's match."

Mukotsu blinked. "Ginkotsu? Was he after me?"

"Yes," Renkotsu said as he walked up to them. "And she's against Suikotsu right now."

They all looked over to Hikari and Suikotsu's round. The healer was blocking the doctor's claws with her sword, and it didn't take long before her other sword came up from behind Suikotsu's shoulder to get him. He dodged it swiftly and went at her again.

"Tell me..." Mukotsu started. "How did Ginkotsu's turn end?"

Ginkotsu, who was sitting right next to the group this whole time, grunted.

"It was a surprise for all of us," Renkotsu said without looking at his (literally) old brother. "Ever since the begining of the match, the girl's been avoiding everthing Ginkotsu threw at her. As she dodged the attacks, she got closer and closer to Ginkotsu, and just as they were face to face, she was able to point her blade at Ginkotsu's eye. If she had continued to force her blade down, Ginkotsu would have lost his one good eye, and perhaps even his life."

Bankotsu rested his hands on the back of his head. "That's what we call strategy. She saw Ginkotsu's only weak spot and concentrated on attacking his eye."

"I wonder, though..." Jakotsu lifted his gaze up to the sky. "Why doesn't she use her powers to control things? She could easily kill us and win."

The leader answered with a smile, "Hikari loves to spar, and since she doens't get to spar much with other people, she likes to make the matches last as long as she wants. When it gets really boring, she gives up and goes right at her opponent for the final blow."

Just then, Hikari sweeped Suikotsu off his feet. The doctor fell, and just as he was about to get up, he found Hikari's blade at his neck. She winked and stood triumphly at him. "Gotcha."

Suikotu blushed and growled to hide his embarrassment. He mumbled, "Dammit."

She gently lifted her sword up at looked at the rest of the band. "Who's next?" Then, her gaze fell onto Mukotsu. She smiled. "Well, what do ya know! You're awake!"

The old man blushed lightly and looked away. Her eyes filled with amusement. Then, she looked back at the rest of the group. "So? Who am I going against?"

Jakotsu sighed and stood up. "I guess that's me..." He pulled out his sword and walked towards the girl.

Without warning, his Jakotsuto shot out a her. Hikari expected this, and with a swift movement, she avoided the attack. Jakotsu's sword went at her again like a snake, and she blocked this one with her water blade.

Bankotsu grinned. It was nice to see Hikari's beautiful smile again.

He glanced at his brothers who seemed completly hypnotized. It was their first time they actually saw Hikari in a good mood. And for the very first time, they noticed how beautiful she looked when she was happy.

It wasn't long before Jakotsu was defeated as well. Her fire blade was stuck in Jakotsuto, and during the time he took care of it, Hikari went at him with her other sword and got him from behind.

Jakostu scowled as he felt the blade gently poke his back. If it had continued going straight, it would have pierced his heart. "Damn."

Hikari grinned and pulled away her sword. As Jakotsu stood up, he growled at her, but she was already lookng over to the rest of the Band of Seven, waiting for Renkotsu to stand up.

The gay man snorted and took his place next to Bankotsu. "That wasn't very long," his leader commented.

"I have nothing to say but that this doesn't change the fact that I think girls are weak," he growled.

Hikari heard that, but decided to push it aside, and rolled her eyes. It's not like one match agaisnt that guy is going to change his mind. It's going to take a lot more than this for her to gain his respect. She knew that very well.

The second in command got up and inspected his weapons for the last time. This wasn't going to be easy. It was already hard to believe that this woman could take down all of the Band of Seven one by one.

When she was in a match, he took care to watch all of her moves.

He took in every detail he possibly could.

As he walked towards her, he planned out his moves. _"She fast. Almost as fast as that wolf," _he noticed, referring to Koga. _"She'll be able to dodge most of my attacks, so I'll go for her legs first. But she's smart too. She can see through most of our attacks, so I shouldn't be surprised if she knows that I'm for her lower body part. _

_"The only weak spot I've spotted so far was her strength, but apparently, I don't work with that either. She can't endure much damage, so I guess I'll have to go with that. One direct shot at her should do the trick. And even if it isn't a direct shot..."_

He couldn't think of anything else. Hikari's blade shot out of nowhere and almost got him from behind, just as it did to Jakotsu. Renkotsu ducked down got out of the way and rolled to another side.

"There's a time where you can think, and a time when you should fight," he heard her say. "If you keep on planning your stradegy when you're wide open, there's a chance you can get killed."

And as she charged at him, she added, "The best time to plan something is when you're being attacked, or when you know that your opponent can't hit you!"

Renkotsu's eyes widened in shock. He took a quick sip from his gourd and breathed out a wave of fire at her, hoping that it would do some effect. He spotted her rolling to his left side, and he took this chance to launch his canon.

He aimed for her legs and fired. The canon landed with a great 'BOOM' and smoke covered the air once again. He desperatly looked around to see if it hit her. Taking the girl's advice from earlier, he thought carefully, _"She's close. It's either that I go to her, or that she comes to me."_

He got another one of his canons ready. _"I'll go after her first."_

He knew that there was a chance that she was ahead of him, so he started walking that way. When he saw something flash suddenly, he fired at it immediatly. The only thing he got was more and more smoke.

For just a moment, everything was quiet. Tiny camp fires were spread everywhere. And nobody could see anything because of the heavy gray clouds. Renkotsu, however, could see through the smoke due to the many times he had to deal with it.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," he chanted. And he growled, "Or I'll blast you out!"

"You asked for it!"

And before he could make another move, Hikari's water blade shot out from his right side. Renkotsu ducked, but just then, the fire blade came from his left side and went for his head.

His eyes widened in shock as he felt the wind from the blade pass right below to his head. _"If I had moved just an inch more, I would have been a gonner. Or... is it just that she missed on purpose?"_

The blades disappeared from his sight, and soon enough, Hikari's from appeared.

He jumped back and braced himself for another attack. Just as his feet came in contact with the ground, it started trrembling. And he knew why. He leaped back again, and when he looked up, he saw spikes rising from the place he was standing.

He growled. _"Damn. She's only playing with me. Like Big Brother said, she likes making her battles last as long as she could. Only right now, she's using her powers to get me moving."_

Renkotsu reached for the box in which he kept all his canons and picked one randomly. He pointed it to where he had last seen Hikari. _"Then I guess that I should put on a good show for her!"_

The rest of the Band of Seven heard the loud boom, but didn't take any notice to it. Smoke covered their air once again.

Bankotsu yawned. "When is he going to stop firing his damn canons? I can't get any fresh air with all of this, or even get a good view of the battle. Hey, Jakotsu! You still there?"

"Yeah," a voice next to him responded. "Still here. So are the others."

"What do you want us to do?" Suikotsu's voice was heard. "Do you want to leave it this way, or should we find a way to get rid of all this?"

Before the leader could answer, a giant gust of wind flew by them, and instantly, the smoke disappeared. Intead, the band members were able to see Hikari running at their second in command with one of her blades, and soon, she caught her other sword which flew over her head.

Bankotsu smiled and laid his arms behind his head. "Ah, I guess we didn't need to do any work after all."

Hikari kept on going at Renkotsu with her blades, and he had a hard time to dodge her attacks. Her timing to attack was almost perfect, and her blades would only miss his head by an inch.

_"I'm only wasting my energy on this!" _Renkotsu thought carefully. _"I should probably just jump back and use my fire threads on her again before she really does hit me."_

He concentrated hard on analysing her movements, but she was too fast. He glared at her.

And behind all her attacks, she smiled at him.

Not warmly. Just in a malicious way.

Renkotsu's eyes widened as he spotted one of her blades going for his legs_. "Damn!"_

He moved his legs out of the way, but tripped as a result. Hikari flung her sword near his neck, but he jumped up to his feet and shot out his fire thread at her before she could get a good hit. She was engulfed in flammed in a matter of seconds.

He snickered. "Hah! How do you like that?"

Everyone heard Bankotsu sigh.

They all turned their gaze to him. He shook his head disapprovingly. Was he upset at Hikari? Or was it something else? "What? Renkotsu won, didn't he?" Ginkotsu asked.

"No, of course he didn't," a voice said behind the second in command.

Renkotsu's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't turn back to see what happened. The same expression was on his brothers faces, all except Bankotsu.

Hikari shook her head the same way their leader did. "Tsk, tsk. Apparently, you haven't been listening to what your leader told you. You've seen my power to control elements. You've seen it when I used earth..."

And her fire blade pointed at her opponent's head. "But you haven't seen me with _fire_ or _water_."

Renkotsu's breath was stuck in his lungs as she continued explaining, "Apparently, I'm not a regular human. I can control fire and water if I come in contact with them. But also... when fire touches me, I don't feel a thing. It's just like plain air to me. Same thing with water. You can try to droun me, but it just won't work the way you planned. I can breathe in water like fresh air."

She moved her blade away from his head and rested it on her shoulder, just as she did before.

She smiled. "I'll admit it, though. You moved pretty quick. Actually, quicker than I expected. I didn't think that taking care of you would've taken this long."

_"And I was really surprised at how calm you looked when I attacked you," _she added with a hint of suspition. _"When he fought Bankotsu way back then, he panicked at every step Bakotsu was taking. He knows that I'm almost as strong as his leader, and yet, he remained calm. Does this mean that the Band of Seven has become much stronger than they were before? Or is it just that Renkotsu gained more confidence?"_

She turned away from him and walked towards Bankotsu. She stopped a meter away from him. "I'm guessing that you don't want to spar right now?"

He shook his head. "Not now. We still have to get going. We might find something up ahead. And besides," he added as he gazed at her face carefully. "You look kinda... tired."

She narrowed her eyes. "Tired?"

"You had to jump around a lot, and you've wasted a lot of energy. You'll be travelling on Ginkotsu from now on."

"What? I've still got my two own legs, in case you haven't noticed."

"Yeah, I know, but they're exausted too. Some rest will do you good, so I **don't** want to hear any complaining. You've moved enough for one day."

Hikari was about to protest again, but the stern look Bankotsu gave her shut her up. She sighed. Apparently, she seemed to have forgotten that she was their captive. She could feel free sometimes, but of course, nothing lasted forever.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I'm home!"

Sota stopped playing with his cat Buyo and yelled from upstairs, "Hey, Sis! What's up?"

As Kagome took her shoes off, her mother came to greet her. "Welcome home, dear. How was your test? Not too hard, I hope? With all that studying the other night, you should have passed."

She sighed in defeat. "I don't know if I passed, but I know that I at least got half of it right... But I also know that I probably lost around twenty points or so..."

Her little brother finally showed up with the cat in his hands. "Ouch. That means that your score is between fifty and eighty percent. And if you don't get over sixty, you failed."

"I know that!" she snapped. And more calmly, she added. "As long as I know that I have a chance of passing, I'll be fine."

Buyo jumped out of Sota's arms and walked away to the living room. Everyone stared at him leaving. And an akward slience filled the air.

Finally, Kagome yawned and stretched her arms out. "Well, I'll be in my room if you need me. I have some homeword to do, and it'll take me forever to understand it. Call me down when supper's ready."

**_Two days later..._**

"Sooo... How are your results?"

Kagome groaned. "Don't ask, Sota. I'm only telling Mom. This has nothing to do with you."

Sota pouted. "Aw, come on! I'm curious too."

"If I give you a hint, will you go away?" The boy nodded and she answered, "I barely passed."

And before her brother could add anything, she walked away to the kitchen where her mother was. Kagome gave her mother a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, Mom. How's it going?"

The older woman smiled. "I've heard your small conversation with Sota. So... How is it really?"

Her mother was asking the same question her brother asked her. Oh boy. Kagome looked down and played with her fingers. "Well... I have to be honest don't I...? I got..." And very quickly, she answered, "Sixty-five percent!"

Her Mom blinked. "Oh my."

She groaned. "Mom, please don't look at me like that. Anyway, if you have to tell me something, tell it to me later, because I have to study for another test that's coming up soon."

She started walking up the stairs, and when she was going to open the door knob, Sota yelled from the bottom of the stairs, "Uh, hey! W-wait, sis! Don't open-"

Too late.

Kagome already opened the door to her room.

And what she found on her bed was a snoring Inuyasha.

She was completly frozen, and could only stutter a "... Eh...?"

Her little brother showed up behind her puffing, and he groaned. "I forgot to tell you... Inuyasha came just an hour ago because he thought that you were taking too long. And when I told him that you were going to arrive from school soon, he decided to stay for a while... And then, he fell asleep."

"Yeah, he fell asleep, but in MY bed?"

"Well... I couldn't move him from there since he's too heavy... And even if I could, where _could_ I put him?"

Kagome sighed. "I guess you do have a point there. I'll just let him sleep a little longer. After all, I don't feel like yelling or being yelled at right now."

Apparently, it seemed that Inuyasha was sleeping a little too well, and a few minutes later, that snoring of his was becoming annoying. Kagome could barely concentrate on her homework. And when she could't take it anymore, she stood up and walked to her bed.

She bent down next to Inuyasha's ear and whispered, "Oh, Inuyashaaa..."

And then...

**"WAKE UP!"**

His eyes immediatly flung open, and he jumped up so high that he banged his head on the ceiling. And he landed on the hard, cold floor.

Sota jumped as he heard a loud _**BOOM **_followed by a **"OWWWW!" **

He mumbled, "Ouch. Looks like sis ended up waking _him_ up."

Kagome's voice could be heard all over the house. "Do you have to snore _that_ much when I'm studying? Why did you have to come and get me so early? It's only been like, what, three days? I've got a few things to do here too, you know!"

A sleepy Inuyasha snapped out of his dreams and barked back, "First of all, I can't control the way I snore, so don't yell at me about it! And second, you know that searching for information and saving Hikari is more important! You can't spend too much time on 'tests' and stuff! What if Hikari is already dead right now?"

"How can you doubt her so easily? She's strong enough to take care of herself! I have a family here, and it's already bad enough that I'm not spending a little bit of my time with them! Couldn't you just give me some more privacy?"

"Privacy? This isn't called privacy, it's called spending time with others! After defeating the guy who ressurected the Band of Seven, you can spend all the time you want here!"

"Are you saying that I don't need to go to your time anymore after this? After taking care of Naraku, I could still travel, couldn't I? It's my decision to go wherever I like!"

"Well, for the next few months, you _can't_ go wherever you like! We've got a job to do, and that's more important! Next time, the longest time you can stay here is five days."

"Excuse me? What happened to the women's rights? _My_ rights? You- you... **SIT!**"

"Oh my, there they go again," Kagome's mother sighed as she heard the two bickering again.

"How long will they go this time?" The grandfather wondered out loud.

"Not too long, I hope. Supper's almost ready and the food might get cold."

Kagome's granfather's eyes gleamed. He pulled out an old pouch and held it up proudly. "Perhaps I should put him back to sleep with my special powder. And I'll even stick some sutras on his mouth so that he stops snoring."

The mother laughed nervously. "Father, you will do no such thing... The extra serving I made for Inuyasha will all go to waste."

Sota came rushing down the stairs. "Hey, I smell something good!"

His mom smiled at him. "It's almost ready, so you can just wait a little longer. In the meantime... why don't you try to make them stop fighting?"

"What? Me? No way. You know how sis is when she's when and who knows how Inuyasha is. I'm going to die up there."

"Oh, come now, darling, it shouldn't take too much. Just say one word and if they don't listen, come back down. I'm sure that'll be more than enough to stop them."

He narrowed his eyes. "Okay... if you say so..."

Sota stood in front of the door to his sister's room and he felt like he was about to die of all the noise those two were making.

"My studies are important too! If I don't pass, my life, my future here is ruined!"

"That's the future! You have to focus on the present! After all, you can catch up on your studies if you work hard enough."

"What do you think I am, a working machine? I have a life too! I can't spend all my days studying!"

Sota took a deep breath. "Here I go..."

He slowly opened the door and poked his little head out. Kagome and Inuyasha were facing each other, both staring straight at the other's eye. Sota noticed that their faces were a little to close than they were supposed to be. "Ummm... Hey..."

Kagome and Inuyasha swung their towards him. "What?"

He didn't know what else to say. "Er... well..." He pointed to them both.

Their eyes were confused for a moment, and they looked at each other again. Then, they noticed it. Kagome and Inuyasha's faces both went red. They instantly backed away from each other and looked at a different direction.

It was suddenly very quiet.

"Supper's almost ready," the boy said nervously. "You can come down any moment."

His older sister stuttered, "Oh... right... Thanks."

_"His face was so close..." _was all that she could think of.

Not wanting to have to do anything more in this mess, Sota nodded and left. He was impressed by how fast it was handled. _"Mom was right... One word really did stop them completly. Wow."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

The day after the sparring with Hikari, Mukotsu started coughing. Nobody but the L. Healer seemed to have noticed, and when she asked the old man if he was feeling okay, he denied the fact that he was feeling rather ill.

"It happens sometimes," he had said, "But I will be fine in day or so."

Yeah, well, 'in a day or so' had passed, and he only seemed to be getting worse. Of course, by then, even the Shichinintai had noticed how he looked, and the leader asked Hikari to check on him real quick, just to see what was wrong.

Mukotsu kept on saying that he felt perfectly fine, but everyone could clearly _see_ that his temperature was getting higher by all the sweat on his face, and by how slow he was walking. So, one night, while everyone was asleep, she took a quick look at the man.

He hand went to his forehead. _"His tempearature's hot, alright," _she noticed. She placed two fingers at his throat. _"And his throat's a little sore, too. His breathing isn't very steady either..." _Then, she looked up to his face. He was covered in sweat, and he kept on shuffling in his sleep. _"And what makes it worse is that he's having a nightmare. This won't get him any rest..."_

_"So even mercenaries can have nightmares, huh..." _The thought suddenly came to her.

And she sighed in relief. _"Well, at least he isn't as sick as I thought."_

"So? How is it?" Bankotsu asked out of the blue.

Hikari knew very well that he was watching her. Every night, it was the same thing. He couldn't keep an eye off her, wether it be because she was beautiful in the moonlight or because he didn't want her to escape from them.

She turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's nothing but a small fever. I'll give him a few herbs to ease his breathing and to cool his fever tomorow. We'll see what happens then. But first, he needs some good night sleep."

Bankotsu then smiled. "You're going to...?"

She smiled too. Hikari took her flute out and wrapped her fingers around it. "What else can I do to help someone get to sleep?"

He grinned and lied down in the soft grass. He laid his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and said, "Perfect. Then I can have a good sleep too."

She giggled softly, and took a quick look around her. The rest of the memebers were either snoring peacefully or half asleep. She yawned and smiled_. "I guess playing a little bit of music would do everyone some good." _

"Oh yeah, and you'd better not try to get away or anything," Bankotsu warned. "Even when I'm asleep, my senses are alert."

"What are you, a demon?" She teased. "And why would I try to run away? I can't leave a sick man behind, remember?"

Not waiting for a response, she brought her flute up to her lips and she blew.

Renkotsu was one of the men who were only half asleep. When he heard a soft melody playing, he told himself that it was nothing, until he saw Hikari playing the flute. _"What is she..." _And before he knew it, his eyes flickered closed to sleep.

The atmosphere changed. Hikari's song echoed through the forest, and the trees seemed to dance along with the melody. The wind blew softly against her skin and soothed her soul. But she noticed that it wasn't only hers - she spotted Mukotsu's expression relax.

She also felt everyone's aura slowly fall asleep.

_"That's odd... And here I thought that I was supposed to be the captive... and yet, nobody is watching over me..."_

She looked at Bankotsu who was now sleeping as peacefully as everyone else. And she giggled. _"You said that your mind's always alert, but it seems to me that even you can resist letting your guard down when you listen to my song."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_The next morning..._**

"I'm telling you, it's going to help you!"

"I do not need it!"

"The **hell** you do! Do you want that fever to get worse?"

The Shichinintai all watched from behind as Hikari tried to convince Mukotsu to take the medicine she prepared. That morning, Bankotsu was the first one to wake up, and when he didn't see Hikari anywhere, he had thought that she really did escape.

That was, until he saw her walking back to them with a handful of herbs she found in the forest.

_"She really did stay after all_..." They all thought.

"I have no fever at all!" the old man protested "I am perfectly healthy. I may be old, but I still have strong bones."

And he coughed right after.

How ironic

"Strong bones, but good health, my ass." She sighed. "Look, can't you just suck up your pride and take it? I've been kidnapped for a reason, and I'm not letting myself get taken away from my friends for nothing!"

Mukostu still wasn't listening.

Hikari started getting frustrated. Just when she was about to snap, she took a few deep breaths. "Fine then. I guess I've got no choice."

The Band of Seven stared at her with interested eyes. What was she going to do?

She moved her hair to the front and let it flow in the wind. He lifted her chest a little higher, and she beat her eyelashes. She made her eyes look real flirty and pouted her lips very slightly. She suddenly looked very beautiful... or rather very sexy.

The men's jaws dropped a little at her appearance.

Then, in a seductive tone, she said to Mukotsu, "If you take the medicine... I'll. Kiss. You."

Cricket.

Cricket.

Now everyone's - not only Bankotsu's - mouthes fell to the floor with a loud **Bang**! The leader's voice could be heard miles away as he yelled in disbelief, "**WHAT?" **

But he wasn't the only one thinking that. Jakotsu was the only one with a horrified expression on his face which clearlyyelled how disgusted he was.

However, something else was going through Hikari's mind at that moment. Just as Mukotsu's mouth was kept wide open, she found out what she was looking for. Her eye gleamed_. "Yes!" _

And in one swift movement, she stuffed all the medicine in his mouth.

Everyone stared in shock, eyes wide like a fish and jaws as wide as melons.

When Mukotsu realised what happened, he tried to struggle out of her grasp, but couldn't break free. Hikari held on tight. She yelled, "Oh no you don't! I'm going to make you swallow the whole thing!"

And after a few more struggles, the old man laid completly still.

Hikari sighed in relief. "Finally. It's over."

She stood up and looked back at the men. They still seemed to be under shock. She blinked. "Hey... You guys okay back there?"

Jakotsu snapped out of it first and tried to wake the others up. After inspecting all of them, he yelled, "Of course they're not! They just saw something completly disgusting!"

She narrowed her eyes. "How can forcing someone into eating medicine be disgusting?"

Renkotsu was the next one to regain consiousness. He shook his head to remove all the weird thoughts that have been going throgh his head and shivered. "That was... how should I say this... rather...er... akward and... nevermind."

Jakotsu looked at his unconsious brother behind the woman. "You didn't... kill him, did you?"

She placed her right hand on her hip as if insulted. "Why is that your every thought every time something happens to Mukotsu? Of course I didn't kill him. It's not like I mixed the herbs up with something poisonous. That's his job. And besides, even if I did add something, he'd survive."

Suikotsu woke up. He too shook his head to clear his mind. "Seriously... Ugh... Don't... do anything... like that... ever... again."

She shrugged. "Hey, when you're trying to help someone, you have to do anything to make them do it. Even if it means that you have to do something dirty."

Ginkotsu blinked his one eye. "So... you might try that again?"

Hikari had a thoughtful look in her eye. "Hmmm... maybe..."

The men stiffened.

She smiled, her eyes filled with amusement. "That is... Unless you actually listen to me when these sort of situations happen."

The Band of Seven continued staring at her, not believing what had happened when Mukotsu didn't do as she said.

Hikari knew every well that they were uncomfortable with this. "What? Did you honestly think that I'd _kiss_ **him**? I wouldn't even give him a peck on his cheek. I still have my pride. He'd be the last man I'd ever kiss among you... No - nevermind - Jakotsu would be the last one."

The gay man scowled at her. "Same here, wench."

She rolled her eyes. _"Of course."_

Suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine.

She slowly turned around, but didn't dare look into Bankotsu's eyes. It was already enough that his aura felt so cold. She could just tell that he was glaring at her, teeth clenched, and trying hard not to run to her and demand her what she was thinking.

Hikari groaned. _"I... am **sooo** getting it later."_

* * *

**Honestly , I've had a lot of fun writing this :)**

**Hope you all have a great summer! ^^**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	13. An Old Enemy

**Disclaimer: No, of course I don't own Inuyasha... :( **

**Should I have also said that this was rated M because of the violence...? Oh, I don't know about anything when it comes to rating something -_-.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 12**

"Hurry up, Kagome! We're going to be late again!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright already!"

She turned to her family. "I'll be off again for a few weeks. You see, we have this huge problem to take care of, and..."

Her mother stopped her. "Ah, ah, ah... I don't want to hear anything about it. As long as you come home safely, we're perfectly fine with whatever you're up to. You have to get your friend back, don't you?"

The miko smiled gratefully at her mother. "Mom..."

Her grandfather held up a sutra and said proudly, "If you bring this sutra with you, it shall bring you protection whenever you are in danger! This has been passed down from generation to generation! You never know when you're going to need it!"

A drop of sweat could be seen on Kagome's forehead as she took it from his hands. "Er... Thanks, Granpa... I'll make sure that I don't lose it..." _"I guess I'll just have to ask Miroku if this is still working..."_

"Hey, Grandpa, if that thing really does protect, why didn't you give it to her earlier?" Sota asked.

The old man crossed his arms. "I've just found it yesterday in the storage room. I found many other sutras, and I couldn't decide which one to give, but then I thought that this one had a greater value than the others. All your ancestors' powers are with you!"

From inside the shrine, Inuyasha yelled, "Hey! I'm getting old here!"

She rolled her eyes again. And waving a 'bye' to her family, she ran into the shrine and said, "Demon don't grow old very fast, so don't complain!"

Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever. Let's just get going before anything bad happens."

They both jumped into the well and felt the blue light envelopping them.

But something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Kagome could feel a cold presence very near... A demon's aura... Something she hadn't felt in a very long time. This was the same feeling she had the very first time she went through the well. "Inuyasha... Can you feel that too?"

The half demon grunted. "Yeah. Looks like we're not the only ones here. Do you think...?"

Before they knew it, they were back in the Feudal Era. Swift like the wind, Inuyasha jumped out of the well with Kagome in his arms, laid her down on her ground, and pulled out his sword.

He said, "There's a demon nearby, so get ready. You don't have your bow and arrows right now, but the least you can do is protect yourself with your spiritual powers."

Then, a loud roar was heard behind them.

It was coming for the well.

And they heard a voice. It wasn't clear, but it sounded so familiar.

"Power..." Whatever it was whispered. "Yes... I feel it... I need more... more... power... Power!"

With another loud roar, a huge body rose up from the well. Its piercing eyes stared straight at the two with pure hatred. It arms and legs flexed itselves to prepare for battle. Its long black hair covered only half of its face.

As it looked up with its black sharp eyes, and as the hair covering its face slid away, Inuyasha and Kagome stared in complete shock. After such a long time...

It growled, "You... you two... again..."

That demon was the very first demon the two have encountered.

The very first demon to attack Kagome.

And one of the two demons who have seen the complete Shikon Jewel before it shattered into millions of pieces.

Inuyasha and Kagome could never forget those eyes.

The eyes of...

Mistress Centipede.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I want to talk to you for a second," Hikari whispered into Bankotsu's ear.

He turned his head to the other side and continued polishing Banryuu. "There's nothing to talk about," he grumbled.

A single day after the... ummm... 'incident', Mukostu seemed to be getting a little better. This time, he obeyed evreything Hikari told him to do, and even started calling her by her name.

Even though it pleased Hikari very much, and even though she smiled a lot more now, Bankotsu never stopped sulking. He was in a rotten mood and didn't talk much to his brothers, nevermind Hikari.

But, on the bright side, the rest of the members seemed to have gotten used to the girl.

They knew that they should never really put her in a bad mood, and that she didn't eat much meat... when it was cooked by Renkotsu's fire. She prefered to cook her own meal.

But what had shocked them the most was that time...

**_FLASHBACK_**

The morning after Mukotsu got better, he called her by her name. "Excuse me... Hikari?"

The L. Healer blinked in surprise. And so did his brothers. "Ummm... Yes?"

The old stared at the bowl of soup that was supposed to heal his sore throat. "Don't you think that... something's missing in this?"

Her eyes brightened. "Oh right! Sorry about that."

She added something to the soup and smiled at him. "It should be okay now. Drink up!"

He did. When he had finished his soup, he grimaced. "This isn't the best thing I've ever tasted." He expected Hikari to retort, but she didn't do anythinng. In fact, the smile on her face didn't disappear.

He narrowed his eyes. "Why is it that you seem so happy? I didn't do anything."

Hikari's smiled widened. "You... called me by my name. It kind of makes me happy that you don't call me 'woman' or 'girl' anymore."

Mukostu blushed. Well, of course, anyone would have. Her face looked so angelic and beautiful when she smiled. And his brothers noticed this too.

The happy face never left her as she turned around and said, "Well, then. Now that that's done, let's get going!"

**_END FLASHBACK_**

Ever since that moment, the brothers have stared calling her by her name as well. All, except Jakotsu. He still called her 'woman' or 'wench'. But Hikari didn't mind that. It would have been a miracle if he actually started liking her.

The time the Shichinintai decided to take a rest, the healer was getting tired of Bankotsu ignoring her this whole time, and decided to put an end to all this gloomy atmosphere.

Looks like things are going well so far, aren't they?

She growled in frustration. Bankotsu and her would not be going anywhere with this if they were surround by a tiny crowd. So she grabbed his hand and dragged him into the forest.

Bankotsu's eyes were shocked, and when he tried to pull away... "Hey! Let me go!"

And she literally threw him deeper into the forest. When she heard a great **'Thud'**, she walked to its direction.

Suikotsu spotted her leaving and yelled, "Hey! Where are you going, Hikari?"

Her head poped out of the bushes and she smiled sweatly, "Don't worry, it's nothing we'll be right back!" And she disappeared. Banryuu was abandonned in the middle of the clearing.

The doctor smirked as naughty thoughts of the two alone together came into his head. It seemed that being alone really might lighten up the leader's rotten mood.

When Hikari found the leader of mercenaries, she placed her hands on her hips. "Get up. We've got a few things to talk about."

Bankotsu grunted and stood up. He brushed the dirt off his clothes and said, "Like I said, there's nothing to talk about. Let's hurry up and get back before Jakotsu suspects something."

She hit him hard on the head. "That's supposed to be **my** line when we're alone! Don't just steal it from me!"

He growled. He was trying to avoid her at all cost for the past few hours, but it seemed that in this situation... There was no way that he would be able to ignore her.

So what if he didn't say anything?

Yes, that sounded good.

Her voice softened. "I don't see why you're so mad at me. I mean, what did I do wrong? You're holding a bigger grudge than Jakotsu would."

He wanted to yell 'What the hell do you mean, you don't know why I'm mad at you? Isn't it obvious? You can't be that clueless, right?'. But he decided to stick to his other thoughts, and kept quiet.

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're still mad about what happened yesterday?"

He stiffened. "You read my thoughts, didn't you? That's just plain dirty!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it was just... reflex."

"Reflex, my ass!"

She paused and stared deep into his blue eyes. "Why are you so troubled by what I did? Did you really think that I'd kiss an old rinkly man?"

Bankotsu looked away.

_"That was an obvious 'yes'," _Hikari thought.

She sighed. "Is it how I looked when I said that I'd 'kiss' him? Did I... maybe surprise you too much...?"

He mumbled, "That's not..."

"It is, isn't it?" she interrupted. "There's no way that you wouldn't be disturbed by that. I know you far too well, you can never ignore me when I suddely turn into a something like **that**."

When she mentionned that, he smirked. "Yes. A beautiful and sexy woman, if I do say so myself."

Hikari blinked. "Ah, so you admit that you were troubled."

Silence.

She sighed again. And then, she smiled. She folded her arms across her chest and said, "Go on. You can let it all out now, I'm here to listen. I'm ready for whatever you have to say."

Bankotsu still didn't say anything.

But then...

He bursted.

He jumped up to his feet and yelled at her at the top of his lungs. "Why the **HELL** did you have to use **that** method to force him to eat it? You could've used anything - anything! - but no, you just had to take the flirting one!

"My brothers saw you! I want them to think of you as their sister, not some woman they can touch! Do you have any idea what sort of things can be going on in their heads? Of course you do, you can read minds! You must have seen perverted things, right? That's the result of having to use **that**!"

At the other side of the forest, the rest of the Shichinintai members heard everything. They all looked at each other akwardly.

"So?" Jakotsu asked suddenly. "_Did_ you guys think of perverted stuff?"

Everyone quikly shook their heads. Everyone, except Mukostu.

"Mukotsu?"

The old man looked down and mumbled. "Perhaps... just a once."

Bankotsu noticed that he was speaking too loud and lowered his voice slightly. "And how could you even **try** to do something like that? You already said that you... you... **loved** me, and yet you tried to... It makes me sick just thinking about it!

"How, just how, could **you**, of all people, do... I thought you didn't like to flirt with guys! Hell, I thought you hated it! Were you lying? Don't tell me you actually enjoy doing things like that!"

All this time, Hikari remained quiet. She would frown, or even smile, but she didn't say anything. When Bankotsu seemed to have finished talking, she asked, "So. Are you done now?"

Bankotsu was confused. She had no reaction at all. How odd.

He slowly nodded, slightly afraid of what was going to happen next.

She took a few quick steps to close the gap between them, and hugged him tight.

Everything went so quickly that Bankotsu didn't have enough time to register what she was doing. He blinked his eyes to make sure that he wasn't just seeing - or feeling - things.

She pressed her forehead against his, and smiled at him. She giggled. "Idiot."

His eyes were confused. She continued, "I can't believe you thought that I would actually do something so disgusting. You're right, I could have used another method, but pinning someone down and forcing it down their throat isn't very good for an old man like him. I used his weak point so that making him eat the medicine will make everything easier."

Bankotsu frowned. "I don't see the difference between what you did and forcing the food down someone's throat."

Hikari decided to ignore that and went on, "It's not like I wanted to use that method. Mukotsu's old, and since he's getting weak I had to make things go a little slow. What I did was the only thing that seemed effective to me at that time."

Her eyes softened. "I'd **never** kiss someone just so that they can eat some little herbs. I have patients, friends, enemies, rivals..."

And she giggled. "... And then I have you. I can't imagine myself kissing another guy after knowing how you're so good at it."

He smirked. "Oh is that so? Please, would you mind describing for me?"

Hikari broke away. "I'll pass."

Bankotsu chuckled. And all of a sudden he asked, "What do you think of me?"

She blinked in surprise. "... Are you talking about what I first thought of you, or what I thought of you when I got to know you?"

"Both."

"Hmmm... Let's see... You aren't as cold and evil as people think you would be."

In an offended tone, Bankotsu said, "You thought I was cold and evil?"

She nudged him. "Oh, shut up. I'm just saying things I thought about you at the very begging, that's all."

He pouted. "And you thought I was cold and evil."

"Yes, I did. Don't complain. Remember, I was told that you were a clod-blooded mercenary, and you didn't treat me very nicely the first and second time we met. Plus, I'm not the only one who thought you were cold and evil at first either. I can name a few if you'd like," she teased.

"Please, don't. Continue with your description of me."

Hikari stared straight into his eyes, looked down, and thought carefully. "Suprisingly, you really do care a lot about your brothers and other who are close to you."

"Surpisingly? Of course I'd care for them, they've been with me the whole time I've had my job!"

She gave him a stern look. "Are you going to interrupt me everytime I mention something?"

"Yes, I am."

She laughed softly. "You're very impatient... You have the proof right there...". Before he could add anything to that, she continued, "... But you don't loose your cool easily."

He grinned as she went on, "When things become too tense, you try to lighten up the mood. You're childish sometimes, but that just makes you look cute," she giggled.

He raised a brow. "Cute?"

"Cute."

"Really?"

"Yup. It's a good thing if you try to attract girls," she teased, and she went on, "You don't kill people unless they really piss you off, or unless you were hired to do so. You can't stand betrayal and unloyalty."

"And..." she said as she giggled a little more, "You've never let go of your precious Banryuu. In fact, you've never slept a night without it ever since you got it when you were a kid. You were so scared that someone would try to steal it."

He blushed, and stuttered, "H-hey! T-that's dirty! You can't just reveal secrets like that!"

Hikari never stopped laughing. "You've always kept Banryuu by your side... But I guess that today's a little different, don't you think?"

Bankotsu blinked. "What?" He took a quick look around him. Then he remembered that he left his precious sword at camp. "**Shit**!" And he ran off.

She watched him run back to the others with amused eyes. _"I should have said that you can be kind when you want to, and that when you loose your temper, you can become a real storm... But I guess that can wait a little longer."_

*O*~*O*~*O*

Inuyasha and Kagome should have seen this coming, and yet, there they were, frozen to the spot.

Mistress Centipede's eyes shot daggers at them. She knew very well who these two were. How could she forget the ones who have killed her? The demon flexed it arms and legs, still not taking her eyes off the two.

The half demon and the priestess who have killed her were standing right in front of her. Oh, how perfect this was. She could get her revenge right here and now.

The last time she saw Inuyasha, he was unarmed and only had his claws as his weapons. And now he had a sword. The miko was different as well. Mistress Centipede knew that the girl's spritual power had gotten much stronger.

But she didn't care.

She felt more and more power flowing through her veins, and she thought that if this went on, she would soon feel invincible. The scowl on her face disappeared, and she started snickering. And soon, her snickeres turned into evil laugher.

Inuyasha and Kagome contined to stare as she spoke, "Wonderful! It has been a moment since I have come back from the dead, and now here I am, my revenge just minutes, no, seconds away from me! This is beautiful!"

_"Seconds?" _Kagome thought with horror. _"Could it be that she feels that much power? Does she really feel that she could defeat us in a matter of seconds?"_

Her friend growled. "I wouldn't say 'seconds', you overgrown worm! Don't think that you're the only one here who got stronger!" And he said to Kagome, "Get ready. You don't have your bow and arrows, but you should still be able to use your spiritual powers, right?"

Kagome looked down at her hands. "Yeah..."

"Then we should handle this without any problems."

"What are you two mumbling about at a time like this?" The monster screeched. She charged at them, her devilish claws shining as they swooped down at Kagome.

Kagome barely dodged the attack. She quickly ducked down to avoid the claws, but she wasn't quick enough. Mistress Centipede's nails left deep wounds on her right arm.

She shrieked in pain and clutched her injured arm. Her huge yellow bag fell to the ground.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha hurried to her side and took a quick check at the wound. There were only two claw marks, but the blood was flowing out so much that it wouldn't have made a difference if there were five.

Kagome held back her tears and dared to take a look at the wound. And almost instantly, she shut her eyes shut again. The wound felt worse than it looked. Never before had she felt such an immense pain.

"It... it burns..." she whimpered.

A concerned looked crossed Inuyasha's face. "Just bear it for a little longer, I'll deal with this as fast as I can. Don't worry."

Sure he said not to worry, but his expression clearly stated that he was starting to panic.

_"She's loosing blood fast," _Inuyasha inwardly growled. _"If this goes on..."_

He scowled at a smirking centipede demon. _"Damn. So she's got claws now, huh? Not only that, but they're longer and sharper than any other one's I've ever seen. But... other than that, what else can she do?"_

He jumped up to his feet and yelled. "It's between you and me now, so leave her out of this!"

The demon snickered, "Oh, but I don't think I can. It was because of both of you that I ended up in hell."

And it went for Kagome again. "And I'm not thinking of going there again!"

This time, Inuyasha grabbed his friend and jumped out of the way. As soon as he sprag up, the giant bug charged at him while he was in mid-air.

He used the centipede's long body as a support to land on and to jump again. As his feet came in contact with the earth, he started running towards another direction.

Mistress Centipede wasn't far behind him. "Running away, are you? Don't tell me you're afraid!"

And the half demon looked back and yelled, "Oh, shut up!"

He was shocked to see the demon so close behind. If he slowed down just the slightest, he would be dead. So he ran on ahead... Getting a little closer to Kaede's village with every step.

_"I have to get Kagome to safety first," _he thought. _"I won't be able to protect her for long. If I get a little closer to the village, Miroku and the others might hear the commotion and show up."_

He took a few turns before stopping on his tracks and laying Kagome behind a tree. Inuyasha looked around quickly. _"This should be a good spot. I barely escaped that thing... That centipede is getting close fast, and if I go any further, the village will be in danger."_

Kagome was breathing heavily from the pain, and perhaps from the loss of blood. Sweat covered her nearly pale face, and the blood from the wound just wouldn't stop pouring out.

He squeezed her hand lightly and assured, "It's going to be okay, Kagome. You just stay here out of sight. I can handle this."

It wasn't very long before Mistress Centipede found them again.

Inuyasha faced the bug and held Tetsusaiga firmly. If he wanted to bring Miroku and the others for help, he'd have to make a lot of noise.

So without any hesitation he launched an attack. **"ADAMANT BARRAGE!"**

Millions of shards of adamant flew out at the centipede demon. Only...

When the shards hit its body, they bounced right off.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide in surprise. _"Wha... What?"_

He wasn't the only one who wa shocked. Mistress Centipede closed her eyes just when the adamant was about to hit her. And when she realised that it didn't affect her, she stared at her body.

Inuyasha looked at his sword and back to the enemy. _"Don't tell me that her defences are stronger too? The Adamant Barrage didn't even leave a scratch! Then how can I defeat her? Should I just send her directly to Hell with Meido Zangetsuha?"_

Mistress Centipede smirked. "Oh, this is just beautiful. Though the Shikon Jewel doesn't exist anymore, I still feel as strong as if I still had it! Now do you see, half demon? You cannot defeat me with that weak sword of yours. I am far too invincible for something as weak as that!"

Inuyasha growled. "Then I'll just have to wipe that head of yours off your shoulders to kill you!"

The two charged at each other. The ground trembled and the clash of the demonic auras was incredible.

Every time Inuyasha delivered a blow, it would be blocked or countered. The centipede demon's skin was as hard as stone and was unpenetrable, he knew that very well. The only parts he could cut off were those tiny legs, and cutting them barely made a difference.

Its defence was still too strong.

"I'm tired of this!" Mistress Centipede screeched. She opened her mouth wide, revealing her sharp white fangs. Just when Inuyasha was too busy trying to make a scratch on her body, her long body wrapped around his and almost sqeezed all the air from his lungs.

As soon as he was trapped, the bug demon planted her fangs deep into his left leg.

His cry of pain echoed throgh the forest.

Kagome opened her eyes and took a little peek at the battle, and she gasped. His leg was bleeding as much as her arm was. In a few seconds, he'd end up like her... But he was a demon, so he must last a little longer than her, right?

_"But it's not like he's invincible or anything, and even if he is a demon... he still has his limits... If Inuyasha doesn't finish this up fast..."_

Kagome closed her eyes shut again.

This wasn't going to end good.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Suikotsu was awfully disturbed.

Ever since the day he had started to call Hikari by her name, he has been having these odd uncomfortable dreams. And during the day, he would get some sort of migraines.

His brothers noticed this.

They knew what was going on, but decided not to do anything about it. It was going to fade sooner or later.

The men didn't care much, but Hikari sure did.

"Are you sure that everything's going be okay?" she whispered during one of their breaks to Bankotsu.

"For who, Suikotsu?" He shrugged and continued polishing Banryuu. "Probably. I mean, it's happened before, but it always leaves after a few days."

She casted a worried glance towards the spiky-haired man. "But what's going on? He says that it's nothing but a headache, but it's big enough of a 'headache' to stop him from walking."

Bankotsu sighed. He was going to have to explain everything one day or another. "You kow how Suikotsu has another person inside of him, right? That saint-ish doctor. Well, sometimes, something happens, and causes the doctor to want to come out, to take over again.

"Of course, our Suikotsu tries to stop that from happening. It's like there's a battle inside his body whenever the doctor wants to come out. Suikotsu has to fight it, and it takes a while before he's okay again."

Hikari nodded. "I see... but isn't there a way for him to be okay? I mean, that nothing like this happens again?"

Bankotsu shrugged again. "I've never really thought about that. I've never been interested. Try to ask him yourself."

She blushed. "M-me...?"

He smirked at her red face. "Sure, why not?"

"Whoa, there. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the type to ask people I barely know about their personal life."

"In that case, you might get to know him a little more. If you're that worried about him, just ask. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that much."

She narrowed her eyes. "You sure...?"

He grinned. "Positive. By the way..."

Hikari blinked. "What?"

He smirked. "It seems that you're getting more comfortable around here."

And again, she blushed, and looked away. "T-that's absurd! How can I find comfort around here? I'm surrounded by men, and there isn't a single woman here! When I was with Kagome and Sango, it was always easy to talk to them about my problems."

His eyes gleamed. "Why would you need friends like them when you have **me**?"

She poked his chest. "**You** and **friends** are two different things. I said that before, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you also said that you have **me**, as in a special person. As in a very important person, a unique guy."

"Unique doesn't always mean good."

She continued, "Sometimes a girl needs to be someone she can talk to, someone who actually understands woman problems. If I'm surrounded by men, how will any of you be able to understand anything?"

Bankotsu frowned. "I can understand. Go on, tell me something that you talk about with girls."

"Do you really want to hear me chatter on about what things make you and Inuyasha alike?"

He stiffened when he heard 'chatter on', but when he heard 'Inuyasha' and 'alike', he growled, "Inuyasha and I. Are. Nothing. Alike."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Right, and Renkotsu has hair. I can go on for our whole break talking about what makes you two so similar. For instance, you both have huge demonic weapons."

"Mine is a halberd and is double my size, and his is a sword and goes in a sheathe!" he protested.

She ignored his comment and mumbled, "You're both very impatient and arrogant, and you're a total pain in the ass for me and Kagome when you won't change your mind about something."

"... Alright, so I'm a pain in your ass sometimes, but I can change my mind!"

"You're both leaders of a group, and very good ones at that. You both want to get stronger, and just recently, you, Bankotsu, started hating Naraku, so that would make another similar element."

"..."

Hikari had a proud smile on her face. "Speechless?"

He sighed. "I admit defeat."

She giggled. "You can't keep up a competition with **me** forever, you know?"

*O*~*O*~*O*

Just when everything was about to go wrong with Inuyasha and Kagome... Out of nowhere came a...

"Hiraikotsu!"

Kagome opened one of her eyes. Miroku, Sango and Shippou were running to her. "Kagome! Are you alright?" Miroku called.

She winced and smiled. "Yeah, I'm feeling just fine."

Her friend's eyes wiidened when they saw her arm bleeding. "You're injured!" Shippou exclaimed.

Sango lifted her arm gently and inspected it. "And this isn''t just a small scratch. If we don't treat it soon, it'll get infected and you'll loose a lot of blood."

"I can say the same for Inuyasha," Kagome whimpered. "He took a nasty shot at his leg, and he won't be able to move much, let alone dodge any more attacks."

Miroku nodded. "Alright. Sango and I will take care of the demon. Shippou, we're going to call Kirara back here so that you two protect Kagome."

The tiny fox demon nodded, and the monk and the demon slayer ran off to Mistress Centipede.

"Be careful!" Kagome yelled. "Those scratches of hers are deadly!"

She winced as she felt the pain again.

"Don't move too much," said Shippou. "I'll try to find something that might make the bleeding stop." He looked around. "Oh no, your bag isn't here... Umm... Let's see... Hikari said that soft leaves are good to clean and to patch up wounds, but only when they're wet... Oh, but where am I going to find some water?"

Inuyasha was still trapped, even when the Hiraikotsu hit one of Mistress Centipede's six arms. The arm wasn't slashed off, but then Kirara came flying from above, burried her fangs deep into it.

Kirara ripped it off, and the demon screeched in pain.

Sango appeared from behind and catched the Hiraikotsu. "Kirara! Go back to Kagome and Shippou, we'll take care of this!"

The cat demon gave her a quick nod and flew to where her friends were hidden.

Her mistress made sure that she left before looking ahead and getting ready to attack. "This one's strong..." she said to herself. "Even though my Hiraikotsu can cut through demonic aura, I couldn't slash it off that arm or make much damage."

"In that case, we'd better be careful with this one," Miroku said as he showed up next to her.

"And finish up fast, by the looks of it," Sango added. "Inuyasha and Kagome won't last very long. We have to get them to the village as soon as possible."

Miroku pulled out a few sutras and said, "I'll place these on the demon. Sango, I want you to attack the surface of where these sutras have landed."

She nodded. "Alright."

The monk took aim at the demon's body and casted his sutras. As they came in contact with her body, Mistress Centipede howled in pain. The sutras left huge burns on her hard shell.

Sango launched her Hiraikotsu. She hit one of the burn marks, and she and Miroku stared in shock as the giant bug's body split into two. Mistress Centipede finally let go of Inuyasha who landed with a big 'thud'.

The half demon growled. "Damn it..."

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Miroku called.

"What does it look like? My leg's bleeding like hell!"

"He's fine," said Sango.

The monk nodded. "Yup."

"Where do you think you're looking?" Mistress Centipede screeched. Even with her body split in two, she endured the pain and charged at the three.

And just then, the Hiraikotsu came from behind her.

And slashed her upper body from the rest.

They all stared at her body crumble to the floor, her heavy defence prooven useless agaisnt sutras. Her head was still stuck to two of her arms, and as she tried to get closer to Miroku and Sango by pulling herself to them, she wheezed, "Damn it... Not... again... I... Cannot... Loose..."

Her head jerked up, and as her final words, she screamed up to the sky, "DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS OVER! THIS WORLD WILL SOON BE GONE FOREVER! DEMONS SHALL RULE! WE WILL..."

Mistress Centipede couldn't say any more. She choked on her own blood and suffocated. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed in her own pool of blood, her long black hair covering her dead, pale face.

Miroku and Sango shivered.

What a horrible death.

They stared at her one last time, before walking over to Inuyasha.

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arm and slung it over his shoulder. "Looks like you need a hand."

"Thanks, but I'm going to need Tetsusaiga too," his friend said as he looked around. "With all this blood, it shouldn't be a problem to find a shining sword somewhere."

"Found it!" Sango exclaimed as she ran over to the sword which was planted in one of the centipede's arms. She called back to them, "It's not shining right now, if you ask me! It's just an old dull blade!"

"Just hand it over!" Inuyasha yelled.

Then, looking around again, he said in a paniked voice, "Wait, where's Kagome?"

Miroku smiled. "Don't worry, she's fine. We're going to get you both to Kaede as fast as we can."

"Heal Kagome first," Inuyasha quickly said. "I can take a little bit of damage, but Kagome won't last too long if she looses that much blood."

When Sango brought his sword back, he said to her, "I want you to go back to the village first with Kagome."

Sango shook her head. "Oh, no. With that leg of yours, you're going to need Kirara's help to get back. You and Kagome will get back to the village on Kirara. Miroku and I will stay back here to search for anything suspicious. These were one of your first enemies, right Inuyasha?"

He nodded. "The very first one, actually. She was the first demon to see the Shikon Jewel full before it shattered."

"Then we might find some clues about the Ressurector," said Miroku.

"So now we're calling the person who brought our enemies back the 'Ressurector'?" Inuyasha asked.

Sango nodded. "It's much simpler if you ask me. I'll go and get Kirara, you two wait here."

She ran off with Hiraikotsu on her back. The two men watched her leave in silence, when Miroku suddenly said, "Inuyasha... to search for clues and to gather more information about the Ressurector, I have to know of everything that happened here. Tell me everything, without leaving any details."

Inuyasha sighed. "Right, but I might forget a few things, so I'll try my best to think of everything..."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Suikotsu! You're taking the night shift for a while", said Renkotsu. "I'll tell when to switch with me."

Suikotsu nodded. " 'K."

He stretched his arms out and laid his back to a tree. He watched everyone settling down to sleep.

Renkotsu and Hikari rested on Ginkotsu. The second in command was on the tank's left side, while Hikari stayed on the right. Jakotsu and Mukotsu slept in the grass, and Bankotsu slept at Ginkotsu's right, beside Hikari. Ony, he wasn't **on** Ginkotsu, he stayed in the grass.

Suikotsu sighed. Just how long were those headaches going to go on?

He knew very well the reason why the doctor wanted to come out again.

_"It's because of her."_

He glanced at Hikari's form lying on Ginkotsu. To the doctor inside of him, nobody here was actually sain. They were just a bunch of mercenaries who loved killing. Who did it for a living. The doctor never wanted to come out.

But then, Hikari came.

She was someone who didn't kill without any specific reason. A kind-hearted woman who didn't want to see anyone die. Even to men like those of the Band of Seven, she didn't even have to think twice about helping Mukotsu when he was sick.

And on top of that, she was a L. Healer.

She knew many things about medicinal herbs, and healed anyone she could.

Just like a doctor.

For once, there was a **sain** person closeby. That's what the doctor Suikotsu would have said, anyways.

When Hikari first came, everything was fine. No headaches or anything.

But then, she helped out Mukotsu.

And when everyone saw her smile, they started calling her by her name.

And then, she seemed to be happier with them.

And that pushed everything off the edge.

The doctor inside of him wanted to talk to her. He wanted to see what kind of person she was, how he felt around this many cold men. He wanted to talk to someone who was like him.

He wanted to talk to someone who understood him.

"Suikotsu?"

His eyes flew opened in surprise. Hikari was up and was standing a meter away from him. He was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that she was up.

In a more soothing tone, she said, "Sorry. Am I disturbing you?"

He snorted. "If you're talking aboutmy night shift, then kinda, yeah."

She smiled. That beautiful smile of hers again. Suikotsu could have sworn that he felt the doctor moving again. Damn it all.

She looked up at the sky with the same smile on her face. "It's a beautiful night, don't you think?"

He looked up too. "I'm not the type to care or to notice about those kind of stuff."

"Yeah, I seem to notice that a lot with you men."

Suikotsu shrugged.

It may not have seemed like it, but inside, he was fighting hard not to let the doctor take control. The rest of his brothers were all asleep, which meant that he and Hikari were all alone. This may have been the one and only chance for the doctor to talk to her.

And he was determined to take it no matter what.

Suikotsu wanted to punch himself in the stomac. He couldn't take this. How long was this going to last? _"Just go away, damn it... Just go... away..."_

"Say..." Hikari suddenly said. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

Suddenly, the pain stopped. It simply vanished. Suikotsu blinked, and nodded to her.

"Recently, you've been having a lot of headaches... And I know that it's because you're having a hard time fighting with your other side, the doctor. I just want to know... Your fights with the doctor, how many times did it happen in the past?"

It was almost the same thing she asked Bankotsu, but she just wanted to hear the answer coming from another person.

Suikotsu didn't answer immediatly. He could have taken a while to answer that question, but after that 'while', he still didn't say anything.

Hikari could've banged her head agaisnt a tree there and then. But she still kept her cool. _"Damn it, Hikari! It's not like you're as close to him as you are to Bankotsu! Of course he might not answer, it's only been, what, a day since he's called you by your name? I should've asked him later! Oh, Bankotsu, this is all your fault! You know how I can't deal with men like-"_

"... Why do you want to know?"

She blinked. The question caught her off guard. She stuttered, "Oh, uh... well... I was... umm... Just curious... I mean, it's not like I see headaches every day... And I have habit of getting worried whenever someone looks hurt..."

Suikotsu sighed. "I can't remember how many times I've went through this. The doctor only comes out when some sort of event happens. For example, whenever I killed... innocent children -that time, Hikari flinched- I had headaches for the next few days. That's why I've decided to keep away from kids and stick with other victims."

He growled. "It pisses me off how easily he can get to me. He never gave up on taking over me. The only times he'd actually admitted defeat were when I had serious injuries."

He glanced at her. "But you know that right? It was that time on Mt. Hakurei, when I was stabbed with Inuyasha's older brother's sword."

She nodded. "Sesshomaru threw his sword at you, and it shot you right at your chest. But you were still up and alive. I guess that was the power of the Sacred Jewel."

"Oh yeah," she continued. "And one more thing. Has it ever happened that both of your minds were at peace?"

Suikotsu had a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know if you'll call that _peace_, but I know that this one time I felt different. And better. I had the doctor's figure, but my mind was still awake."

Hikari's eyes brightened in recognition. "That's right, I remember now. You took that nice face of yours to trick - What was her name again...? Oh yeah, - Rin into following you."

And she mumbled, "Though it wasn't very nice. Making a child believe that someone was kind when they weren't..."

He nodded. "That time, I've never felt any better. It was like my body was finally at... 'peace', as you say, with the doctor."

He looked down at his hands. "When I died back at Mt. Hakurei, I died with **that** face. But when I was ressurected a second time, I found myself 'normal' again, with face markings like before."

"And I'm guessing that you don't know how to change back to **that** form, right?" Hikari asked.

He shook his head. "No."

Why did he tell everthing to **her**, their captive? She didn't need to know anything, and it was her fault that the doctor started showing life again. She was the 'event' that started it.

But somehow, it just felt right. To tell someone about everything that happened. And it was to someone who cared.

Finally, he didn't think that he minded her presense at all. Even if it did mean that the doctor was trying to come out again.

Hikari didn't need to ask anything else. She had all the answers she needed. _"I was hoping that I could do something to help him... But the only way he's ever going to get rid of this is by fighting on his own."_

She looked up at the sky one more time before saying, "Well, that's all that I needed to know. Thanks for answering my questions. I'll get back to sleep. 'Night."

Suikotsu watched her leave back to her place next to Bankotsu and Ginkotsu. And when he saw her passing Bankotsu, he said. "Oh yeah, and Hikari?"

She turned back at him "What?"

He smirked at her for the first time. "You're lucky you survived Big Brother's wrath. Not anyone can do that, you know."

And Hikari smiled back. "Yeah. I know that more than anyone else."

* * *

**Since I forgot Mistress Centipede's name, I had to watch Episode 1 again. And I needed to know how she attacks. I'll probably have to go through things like this again for all the other characters who are coming back to life... **

**The vacations are coming to an end... in like 2 or 3 weeks. But time goes by and eventually, I guess I'll be stuck in class sleeping or something again. :P**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	14. Investiagtions And Cooking?

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and her only!**

**Honestly, I'm surprised at the number of people still reading this story. As I said in the prologue, if you have any questions, just ask, and it'd be really nice if you could tell me what you think of this :) **

**Thanks!**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 13**

Hikari stared at what seemed like rabbit meat in front of her.

It was time to eat. And therefore, she had to eat more... food. Either not cooked enough or over-cooked meat. Most of the fur was still on it, and a single sniff was enough to make her wrinke her nose.

And today, she was going to put an end to this food poisoning.

She stood up and started walking to Renkotsu and Suikotsu's way, who were still out hunting. She was always the one to eat first, so the men had to bring more food for themselves.

Ginkotsu saw her leave, and said, "Where... are you going?"

Glancing at the tank once, she answered. "I'm going to search for Renkotsu and Suiktosu. I'll be right back, so tell Bankotsu that I won't take long."

And without a word, she disappeared into the forest.

It didn't take long before she found the two men. They were stalking a boar, so she was careful to not chase away their prey. She hid in the bushes and watched them.

The boar remained completly still for a second, and Suikotsu took his chance.

Hikari was surprised to see that he didn't have his claws on. Instead, he threw them at the poor animal, and they plunged into its neck. She winced as she head the boar squeel painfully, before finally falling to its side, and laying completly limp.

Renkotu and Suikotsu took above the dead animal.

"One boar," stated Renkotsu. "I guess another boar or three rabbits will be enough for later."

Hikari appeared from behind them and said, "Another boar or three rabbits are good. Just make sure that you kill them the right way."

The two men turned around, and Renkotsu asked with a hint of suspition in his voice, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back at camp."

She shrugged. "When I finished eating I decided to take a little stroll and since you two were near, I decided to check in." _"Yeah, I checked in because I wanted to know why my food tasted so horrible," _she inwardly grumbled.

The blad man narrowed his eyes at her. Yes, it was true that he had started calling her by her name as well, but that didn't mean that he trusted her completly. Why was she out on her own? It wasn't long ago she had to be accompanied by someone of the band everytime she went out.

She caught his suspicious glance and said, "What, do you think I should still have someone to guide me here? I think that it's pretty clear that I'm not going anywhere. "

He stiffened, and turned his back to her.

Suikotsu said, "Well, we're going to look for some rabbits or boars, so we'll see you back at camp."

"Actually, I was thinking about joining you two on your hunt."

Now they both looked at her weirdly. "What?"

Hikari smiled. "Come on. I'll make the hunting go faster and I'll even show you how I kill my prey."

Renkotsu almost growled. "We don't need your help, and we certainly don't need any showing from you."

She tried hard not to glare at him. This selfish, cold-hearted, bald bastard. Apart from Bankotsu, he was another man she couldn't figure out. He was all loyal one moment, and the next, his ambitions take completle control.

He was suspecting her of nothing, and he kept his guard up whenever she was around. Just what kind of man was he?

Suikotsu shrugged as he flung the dead boar onto his shoulder. He picked up his bloody claws and said, "I wouldn't mind that much. When you're the one cooking your own food, it does kinda smell good."

Renkotsu and the rest of his brothers noticed that Suikotsu has gotten more fond of Hikari. Actually, she seemed to have gained his confidence since the day before. Nobody seemed to know the reason why, but they didn't care much. Especially Bankotsu. He just grinned at how Hikari was starting to make 'friends'.

She clapped her hands together. "Then it's settled! I'm going to show you how I do it!"

And when she started walking away to the prey, she mumbled, "I have nothing better to do anyway."

She pointed to the trees in front of her and said, "There's a few rabbits up ahead. We should hurry up before they decide to leave." She started walking away, and Suikotsu followed close. Renkotsu stayed behind, hesitating for a few seconds before following as well.

The three kept walking for a minute or so before Hikari stopped. She crouched down, and so did the two men behind her. Suikotsu and Renkotsu looked over her shoulder, and saw two rabbits hopping joyfully.

_"We're lucky," _Hikari thought. _"The scent here is downhill, so they can't sniff us up."_

Suikotsu and Renkotsu looked at each other. So now what? They should go after them, but the girl wasn't doing anything.

Wrong.

In a split second, she drew her sword, threw it at one of the bunnies and sliced its head off. The blood didn't even splatter. The other rabbit ran off as soon as it saw its comrade dead. **(A/N: RIP little bunny :'( )**

Hikari got up from her hiding spot, caught her sword, and placed it back into its sheathe. She picked up the head of the dead rabbit in one hand, and the body in the other.

She showed it to the two men and said, "See, the thing is that you leave a few holes in your prey. That doesn't make the meat taste really good since there are some chances that bugs or other tiny things can get into it while you're bringing it back to camp.

"I don't know if you'll take my advice, but what I do is slash off one of its body parts as quick as I can. Or if the prey is big, I'd like to go for the heart and leave a single scar."

_"She's giving her prey mercy by finishing them with a single blow," _Renkotsu scowled. _"Pathetic."_

Hikari knew what he was thinking. She didn't even bother hiding her anger then. She gave the bald man a good glare, but quickly looked away after that. Getting angry with a man like him wasn't worth it.

She said to Suikotsu, "I know that it's going to be hard for you since your weapons are claws, so you should go with slow animals.

"Rabbits are small, and can outrun a human any time. But boars are big and slow, so if you use a surprise attack, it shouldn't be too hard to go for its head and slash it off."

Suikotsu nodded. "Doesn't sound too complicated."

She looked at the dead bunny she was holding and sighed. This was the part she didn't want to do. But she was going to have to do it anyway. "Now for the cooking."

"We don't need to do it here," said Renkotsu. "Were bringing all the food we need back to our brothers and we're going to cook it there."

And she glanced at Renkotsu from the corner of her eye. "I'm going to do a quick demonstration here. The less people there is, the better. Besides, I'm not going to wait until you get all the food before showing this to you. So I hope you're going to watch carefully."

The bald man glared at her. "I'll see if it's even worth looking at."

Suikotsu felt the tension in the air getting uncomfortable and got in between them. "Hey, whoa. No need to start a fight here, we have to focus on getting food first."

Hikari sighed again. She said, "First, we're going to have to slice off the fur from the body." She looked at Suikotsu. "That's your job, right?"

He nodded.

"Alright then." She pulled out her sword and pressed it agaisnt the little dead body. "First, you shouldn't try to rip the whole thing off at once. You have to slice it with precision, so that when everything is off, the meat looks _clean_."

She put at lot of emphasis on the 'clean'.

She continued as she started gently slicing off the fur with her blade, "And don't try to plant your claws into it or anything. Like I said before, any deep cuts may cause a small infection. Try using the blade on your claws to do the work."

It wasn't long before she finished. She placed her sword back into its sheath.

And now she had to cook. She asked Renkotsu in a forced polite tone, "I'm going to need some fire. I can't make any apear without burning the whole forest, so can I use some of yours?"

Ugh. If she was talking to some innocent old man she wouldn't mind asking anything. But this was one man she didn't like. At all. and it made her sick to her stomac just talking to him.

"... Fine," Renkotsu snorted.

He pulled out his gourd and breathed a great wall of fire.

Hikari dropped her prey down, and got closer to the fire. The two men wondered if she would get burned. She touched the fire with her fingers, and when she pulled them out, fire was floating at the palm of her hand. Renkotsu's wall of fire disappeared.

Suikotsu and Renkotsu stared with wide, shocked eyes.

She shrugged. "What? It's nothing special. It's thanks to my swords I can do this."

She gathered up some big leaves and wood and formed a small campfire, carefully keeping her little fireball away from the vegetation.

When she finished, she brought her little fire to the leaves, and made them burn. The wood around the leaves kept the fire burning. She found a sharp stick on the ground, and used it to stab the rabbit's body and to plant it to the ground.

She sat back on her knees and placed her hands on her legs. "Now all we've got to do is wait."

Silence.

Hikari couldn't stand akward silences like these. So she decided to start a conversation. But the question was what she was going to talk about. "So... How long have you been together?"

Well... that came out wrong.

The two men gave her a shocked and slightly disgusted look. And her face went red. She started shaking her arms up and down, and shook her head violently. "N-no, no, no wait! I-I didn't mean it like that! I wanted to ask how long has the Band of Seven been together!"

Suikotsu snickered and Renkotsu rolled his eyes. The bald man answered, "If you mean before the first time we died, then it should be a year or so."

Hikari's face was normal again, and she sounded surprised, "A year? Only?"

The doctor smirked. "What do you mean 'only'? A year feels like plenty if you hang out with men as odd as us."

She shrugged. "It's just that it's hard to believe that you've only known each other for a single year, and yet you treat each other like brothers. I would've expected two years, or three."

"Big Brother and Jakotsu were the ones who have started our band," said Renkotsu as he stared at the fire. "If I recall, they've known each other for perhaps three or four years.

"They found Mukotsu in an old village. If Mukotsu wanted to join the band, then he had to kill the small village on his own. He succed without any problems."

Hikari winced.

Renkotsu continued, "Soon after, they found Kyoukotsu. A man as large as him would have been rather useful in the band. He was abandonned by his parents when he was a child and became huge. Kyoukotsu joined Bankotsu and the others after passing a test."

Hikari tried to imagine Kyoukotsu as a young child. Nothing came in her mind.

And then, she tried to picture his parents. And still, she couldn't even think of how they looked like.

"Then, Ginkotsu and I came in. We had to pass a certain test too."

"And I was the last one to join," Suikotsu said. "But Bankotsu and the others found me while I was slaughtering a village, so I didn't really need to pass any test."

"Wait, so if all the members had to do something to proove themselves, doesn't that mean that other people tried to get in, but couldn't?" Hikari asked.

Renkotsu nodded. "Those people were either just not strong enough, or just weren't brave enough to join us."

By brave, he meant bloodthirsty.

"Then... What happened to them?"

Suikotsu answered, "What else could've happened? They either died trying to pass a test, or either were killed by someone of our band because they were a complete waste of our time."

Hikair winced again. So this was the past of the Shichinintai. She was always curious of how they came together, but didn't have enough time to ask Bankotsu.

And there was another thing...

"What about your names?" she asked. "Was it just a coincidence that all your names ended with 'kotsu'?"

The two men chuckled, and Hikari tilted her head. She didn't see what was so funny.

Renkotsu answered, "We get that question a lot. Bankotsu, Jakotsu, and Suikotsu were born with their names. But when the rest of us joined the band, we left our old names behind and changed them based on our skill."

She nodded. _"I see... So it's like a resolve... They're getting rid of their names to show that they're living a new life."_

The second in command continued, "After Suikotsu joined, not many people tried to join us. And we had to come up with a name, so we decided to call ourselves the Band Of Seven."

He saw Hikari glancing at him from the corner of her eye, and grew nervous, but kept a straight face. He looked away. She noticed that he didn't say anything about his or Ginkotsu's past.

And he knew that she wanted to know.

"Oh, look, it's ready," she suddenly said.

Renkotsu looked back at the fire, and the meat. "Don't we have to wait a little longer?" he asked.

She picked up the cooked body and shook her head. "If you wait longer, it's going to burn. Right when the meat starts getting a brown-ish color, you know that it's ready."

Hikari stood up and tossed the body to Suikotsu. "Here. Take a bite."

"What about our brothers? And you?"

She snorted. "I'm sure they can wait. And I already ate my full, don't worry. Besides, the hunters need to eat to keep up their strength."

And the thought, _"Who the hell am I kidding? I haven't eaten the share they gave me! But I guess I could still wait."_

The doctor took a mouth full. He gulped down the food and blinked. "Not bad."

Hikari stared at him, expecting him to say more. He rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll admit that it's better than ours."

She smiled, and Suikotsu passed the meat to his brother. "Your turn."

Remkotsu took a bite and blinked. Well, it certainly was better than the food he made. "Hm. Better than I expected."

The healer inwardly sighed in relief. At least he liked it. She said with a smile, "You can have the rest. I'm going to have to go back to the camp before Bankotsu thinks I've run away. I'll see you both later."

With that said, she turned around and walked away.

She was aware of Renkotsu's eyes on her back. He felt relieved that she didn't ask him anything about his past. But little did he know, Hikari was already planning to make him spit out the truth.

If his past was so disturbing that he didn't want to tell anyone about it, then she had to know.

Something told her that his past was bad. Bad enough to make him want power at any cost.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"These claws have poison in them," Sango observed Mistress Centipede's hands up close. There was a foul-smelling purple liquid dropping from the claws.

"And so do the teeth," Miroku said as he opened the mouth.

"Then that must mean that Inuyasha and Kagome are posioned..." she trailed off.

"What's wrong?" the monk asked. "Does it look familiar?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what this is. I don't know a cure to this, and I don't know what the consequenses are. But Keade might know how to treat it."

Miroku walked around. This place wasn't as red as the clearing Inuyasha and the demon were fighting in. He and Sango were back at the well, and apart from the ominous aura that remained from the battle earlier, everything seemed calm.

He walked to the well and saw something odd.

"Sango, take a look at this," he called.

The demon slayer stood next to the monk. She looked down the Kagome's well and asked, "What is it?"

He pointed at one of the sides of the well with his staff. Dark blue liquid covered the wall. "This. What do you think it is?"

Sango ran over the liquid with her index finger and sniffed it. "It doesn't smell like anything familiar. And I've seen only demon blood of this color. It's slimy and still hot."

She looked at Miroku. "Do you think..."

The monk nodded. "This may be a clue. Inuyasha thinks the demon was brought back to life the moment they came through the well. This blue liquid might have been necessary to bring someone back."

"So did the Band of Seven and Yura go through this too?" Sango said with a hint of disgust in her voice.

Her friend shook her head. "We can't be too sure."

"... If the centipede was brought back when Inuyasha and Kagome went through the well, doesn't that mean the Resurrector was close?" Sango asked more to herself then to Miroku.

"Probably."

She sighed. "It's at times like this that I wish that Hikari was still here. She always was the best tracker when it came to auras."

Miroku nodded. "Indeed."

His friends' words rang in his head. _"... Centipede... brought back... when... Kagome... through the well... Resurrector... close..." _

And it hit him like an arrow. "Oh no," he whispered.

Sango heard the panick in his voice. "What's wrong? Did you think of something?"

His eyes were deeply troubled when he looked at her. "What if... the Resurrector knew all along that Kagome and Inuyasha were coming today? At that very instant?"

She looked confused. _"The Resurrector knew that Inuyasha and Kagome were going to pass... He knew that... But how? Nobody's ever done that before... We knew what day, but not what time... Unless..."_

Her eyes widened.

She had the same expression Miroku had. "You don't mean..."

"The Resurrector may know how to go through time."

"That can't be right!" She exclaimed, and looked down the well. "The only ones who could go through time is Inuyasha and Kagome."

Miroku closed his eyes to think straight. "Yes. But remember. Now, almost anything can be possible."

**_Back with Inuyasha..._**

"Kohaku! Kohaku!"

The boy turned around and saw Kirara flying with a bleeding Inuyasha and Kagome. Shippou was in his little flying pink form. Kohaku knew what was going on.

He started running to Kaede's hut. "I'll go call Kaede!"

Shippou yelled, "Hurry!"

The old priestess was sorting out her supplies in her hut. She jumped when she heard Kohaku barging in. "Kagome and Inuyasha are injured! Badly! Inuyasha's bleeding from his leg, and Kagome from her arm."

Kaede calmly stood up. "Oh, my. Bring them here quickly."

There was no need. Kirara was already outside the hut. Kagome walked inside and whimpered, "Hi, Kaede."

The old woman inspected her arm and said, "Now is not the time for words, dear. Lie down." She guided the young girl to the fireplace.

Kohaku appeared with Inuyasha limping at his side. The half demon's eyes were dull and didn't have any light in them, and when he spoke, they barely recognised his voice, "I'm going to be fine... Take care of Kagome first..."

"Nonsense, you need as much as care as her," Kaede said.

In a minute, Kaede was already inspecting both of their wounds. Kagome's injury was easiest to tend to. The only difficulty was closing the wound since it was so deep.

While the old priestess tended to the half demon, Kagome fell asleep.

Kaede looked over Inuyasha's injury a little more, and frowned. "Oh, dear. This certainly is a problem."

Shippou hopped onto her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The dog growled. "What is it?"

The woman asked first, "Inuyasha, do ye feel any pain?"

"Of course I do, you old hag! With this kind of injury, who couldn't?" And he winced.

She sighed. "I mean anything odd. Do ye feel ye leg at all?"

He shook his injured leg and nodded. "It's fine, why?"

And all of a sudden, he felt his leg go numb. He tried to move it, but he couldn't do a thing. When he moved it with his hand, he couldn't feel it. "... What the hell?"

She closed her eyes. "It is poisoned."

"What do you mean poisoned?" Inuyasha and Shippou's voices sounded.

"I have never seen this kind of poison before. Therefore, I do not know how to cure the wound. I need details of how the poison smells like, how it feels like."

"Oh, that's just great!" Inuyasha growled. And he turned his head to Kagome with panicked eyes, and turned back to Kaede. "Wait, does this mean that..."

She shook her head and smiled. "No, I have not seen any sign of poison in Kagome's arm."

He sighed in relief and yelled to the door, where Kohaku was standing. "Kohaku! Go tell Miroku and Sango about the poison! I was bitten by the demon, so the poison must be in its teeth!"

"I've got it!" And they heard Kohaku running off on Kirara's back.

"The only thing I can do for ye now is clean that bite mark so that it will not get infected," said Kaede..

"Then do it!" The dog barked.

As she started, she said. "We are lucky that ye cannot feel anything. If ye did, ye would have been screeming at the top of ye's lungs."

Shippou mumbled, "You got that right."

While she treated his leg, Inuyasha asked, "By the way, why was Kohaku left behind?"

"Someone had to stay to protect the village if the demon ever came here," the old woman answered. And she added a little later, "But most of all, Sango was worried her brother would get hurt."

The monk and the to demon slayers arrived soon after Kaede had finished. Miroku called before coming in, "We're back."

"Did you find out anything?" Shippou asked.

"A few..." Sango trailed off.

Inuyasha spoke, "Then spill! We don't have all day! What was in that poison?"

Sango reached for the guard on her shoulder and pulled out a seashell. She opened it and gave it to Keade. "We found this in the demon's teeth and claws. But I don't think the poison will work now that the centipede's been killed."

His ears perked. "Did you say claws?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Kagome's arm was scratched, but she isn't poisoned!" Shippou exclaimed.

"That certainly is odd." Miroku smiled. "But it's also a relief. That's one more problem out of the way."

Kaede stood up and started walking out of the hut with the poison in her hand. "I will be back with a cure, so until then, I would like ye to stay here." And with that she left.

"What else did you find out?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku held up four fingers. "Four things. Let's se... Where do I start? Shall I say the worst first or leave it for last...?"

"Leave it for later, say what seems the easiest to handle," the dog urged.

"There isn't anything that's easy to handle," said Sango. "First, you know that its defenses are stronger, and that it got new sharp claws. The demon also got a lot faster, and could endure more shots. Plus, it got poison in its claws and teeth."

"Tell me something I don't know," he said.

"It said something about the Shikon Jewel not existing anymore," Miroku continued. "So it must have been informed of this from the Resurrector.

"Also, we found an odd liquid at the well, the place where it was resurrected."

Then, the monk went quiet. Sango didn't say anything either. "... And the last?"

Sango took a deep breath, and let it out. "We think that the Resurrector can travel to Kagome's time."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu continued walking in circles around Banryuu even when Jakotsu told him, "Give it a rest, Big Brother. It's not like the woman was useful for the past few days, who cares if she left?"

His leader, that's who.

When he and his best friend came back from his little walk, Hikari was gone. She even left her food to rot in the middle of nowhere. Ginkotsu reassured him that she only went out for some time, but he wasn't quite sure that was it.

_"Maybe she finally got tired of eating this thing," _he thought as he poked the leftovers. _"Or maybe she just got tired of being around men for so long. Being around us... Being around **me**? Nah, that can't be right... She never got tired of me... Did she?"_

And then, he started pacing around the clearing. _"But even if she did leave, she's going to come back, right? I mean, she can't find her way to Inuyasha... But what if she sensed that dog closeby and went after him? No! She's not the type to run after people, she's better than that..." _

Jakotsu and his brothers have never seen him this worried.

Behind their leader, Jakotsu, Mukotsu, and Ginkotsu were gossiping like a bunch of woman.

"Can it be true? Will pretty Hikari not come back?" Mukotsu asked with a hint of disappointment in his tone.

His gay brother snorted. "If she really is gone, then good ridance."

Ginkotsu could have shaken his head if it wasn't half metal. "She will be... back. If she left... the food there... then she must have... went hunting."

Mukotsu said, "Oh yes. And if she did try to run away, then Renkotsu and Suikotsu must have seen her."

Suddenly, there was a flash of blue cloth, and the next thing they knew, they heard, "Now what's this about me runing away?"

The three men froze and slowly turned turned their heads. Hikari stood in behind them with her arms folded across her chest. She glared at them. "Ginkotsu said that I was going to come back. I don't see why you didn't believe him."

Jakotsu glared back. "We didn't doubt him. We were just wondering if you tricked him."

"And I didn't," she said coldly.

She and the cross dresser stood there, shooting lighting from their eyes at each other, until Bankotsu noticed that she came back and ran at her. He grabbed her shoulders in his hands and demanded, "Just where the hell were you?"

She blinked, not even a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Out."

"I can see that. And why did you go?"

Hikari tried to avoid his gaze. She looked nervous. Telling him that she was giving cooking lessons to his brothers wouldn't hurt, right? "Ummm... I... went to go see Renkotsu and Suikotsu... and kinda helped them on their search for food."

Bankotsu stared at her. "Is that all?"

"Ummm... Yeah."

He sighed in relief. "'K. Make sure that the next time you run off you come back in fifteen minutes."

Jakotsu's tone was filled with disbelief. "What? That's IT?" He pointed a finger at Hikari. "You're just going to let her do what she wants and not even give her some punishment?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "I'm not letting her do what she wants. I said that she's going to have to come back in fifteen minutes, otherwise, we'll have to go after her."

"But letting a captive this much freedom isn't good! You never know when she might disappear and have us searching for her like idiots!"

"Why would I try to run away when there's no where to go?" Hikari said. "For all I know, Inuyasha may be miles away, and it'll take days before I reach them."

And she shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I'm being badly treated here." Then, she tiped her head to one side as if trying to hear something distant, and said, "Oh, Renkotsu and Suikotsu are coming."

She started walking away, and the two hunters appeared.

Suikotsu had a big boar on his shoulders, and Renkotsu held a rabbit. Hikari noticed that the prey were only slahsed once, and felt a spark of... pride? _"At least they used my method."_

The doctor grunted, and said to her, "One nice, fat boar. This will be enough for at least four people."

She smiled. "Great."

Even if she kept a smile, she had other things on her mind. Hikari never thought about running away until that conversation from earlier.

Jakotsu's words rang in her ears. _"You never know when she might disappear and have us searhing for her like idiots!"_

She wondered why she really **did** stay. Even without Inuyasha or his group, she was fine on her own. She traveled alone for many years, after all. She could find a village in no time if she kept on walking for hours.

She thought hard. _"... If I stay here and travel with the Band of Seven, I might find some clue to the one who ressurected them. And since both Inuyasha and the Band of Seven have the same goals, they might end up bumping into each other, right? That's why I have to stay here..."_

But was that really the reason why she stayed with these men?

She looked at Suikotsu throw his prey on the floor, and watched his brothers gather around him.

Bankotsu whistled, impressed. He pated Suikotsu's shoulder and praised him."Nice catch."

"It was easy to kill," Renkotsu said. "Its weight slowed it down, and it was an easy target."

"It wasn't much of a challenge," Suikotsu added. "Anyone could've-"

"Hey, a catch's a catch," Bankotsu cut him off. "Looks like we're going to be full till tonight."

Hikari smiled. _"Or maybe... I might have judged them wrong. If I look on their nice side... They almost look like a real family."_

* * *

**This one's kinda short since I wanted to hurry up with this.**

**And since the updating usually takes a while, I guess that I won't need to tell you that I'll be een slower since there's school and all... Alright, alright, I'll try to get this finished up quickly :)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	15. Getting Directions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha :)**

**Thank you so much for your reviews! ^^  
Actually, there weren't any notifications sent to my e-mail adress so I wondered what happened... then I checked my stories and I found 15 reviews (not a lot, but hey, it's better then none, I suppose!).**

**So thank you again! ^^**

**PS: Yeah, I know that a few characters aren't showing up, but they will soon! Just you wait ;)**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 14**

The Shichinintai began moving again.

With their bellies filled, they continued their search for the one who saved the men from Hell. There was only one problem. Two, actually. First, wherever they went, a demon or two would pop out of nowhere and attack them. And that resulted with them getting their wounds treated by Hikari.

The L. Healer told them that a demon was coming whenever she sensed one. And everytime, she proposed that they keep moving without any worries. But would these arrogant men listen?

Of course not.

And whenever she mentioned that the demons were strong, she insisted that they turn away from it and ignore it. And if they came their way, they should just run. But would they listen?

Of course not. They just got more pumped up.

_"Men," _Hikari mumbled to herself as she treated Bankotsu's wounded arm. _"Just how arrogant can they get? I try to warn them, but all they do is get themselves hurt."_

Bankotsu looked at her grim expression and knew what she was thinking. "It's not our fault we want to fight. We have to test out our new skills on something. And there aren't any-"

He didn't finish. _"And there aren't any villages around lately."_

It seemed that Hikari didn't notice that he stopped. "If you just resist the urge to fight, we might not need to stop every time you get hurt and continue to move!"

Bankotsu decided that is was wise to keep his mouth shut. Jakotsu, who was sitting next to him with his injured shoulder, kept quiet as well. This time, only the two of them got hurt.

Oh, and the second problem?

After a moment of silence, Hikari asked, "By the way, wouldn't it have been easier if you started searching for your 'savior' by the place you woke up? There may be some clues near Mt. Hakurei, so why didn't you just go that way _instead of searching all over Japan clulessly_?"

...

...

...

Most of the Shichinintai members facepalmed (Ginkotsu couldn't). Bankotsu groaned, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Hikari raised a brow. "You mean you didn't?"

The leader stood up and announced, "Alright, as soon as everyone's ready, we start heading for Mt. Hakurei."

"And how do we do that?" asked Renkotsu, who was lying against Ginkotsu. "For all we know, we can be a week's travel away from that damn mountain. And we don't even know where to go."

"That's why..." he took Hikari by her shoulder and hugged her to him. "... We have this beauty right here."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "In case you don't remember, I can only sense things from a maximun of five kilometers, not fifty."

"True, but don't you still remember the direction Mt. Hakurei is at?"

Oh. Of course she did. But she hated the way he was using her. She sighed. "... Yeah. The direction of the Ox-Tiger. In other words, Noth-East."

He grinned. "That's the girl I know."

Suikotsu spoke, "But... we don't know where we are now. Last I remember, we were heading to... the West? And after that, we took a few turns. Who knows where we are now."

Bankotsu frowned. "Hm. Good point." And he glanced at Hikari again. And his grin reappeared. "But we have someone here who can tell where to go by looking at stars. Am I right, Hikari?"

She inwardly groaned. She hated how possesive he was acting. "Yes, I know how. But that means that we're going to have to travel during the night and sleep during the day."

"That's... going to be a problem," said Ginkotsu.

"How so?" his leader asked.

Renkotsu told him. "The strongest of the demons appear most at night. And we won't be able to see much in the dark."

"The demons won't be much of a problem," Bankotsu shrugged. "However-"

"Oh yes, they will be," Hikari interrupted. "It's already bad enough that we're having problems with demons at daylight. We're going to be at a high disadvantage if we fight at night.

"We won't be able to see much and we're probably going to get our asses whipped everytime we find a demon. And believe me, I don't want to see anyone get killed because of a stupid idea like this!"

Bankotsu didn't object. Now that she nocked some sense into his brain, traveling at night did seem like a stupid idea. He sighed in defeat. She won again... Or did she?

He folded his arms across his chest and asked her, "Then what do you suggest?"

Her eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes, you. You said that my idea was a stupid one, so what do you think we should do?"

She saw the challenge in his eyes. And she growled to herself, _"Cocky little..." _"I'm not the leader here. I'm just a captive."

"You have a lot more freedom than a normal captive. In fact, we're even calling you by your name. So what do you think we should do?"

Hikari glared at him, and he smirked. He wanted to win. And he wasn't about to go down without a fight. _"Then if it's a fight we wants, it's a fight he'll get. I just hope he's not going to cry after I win," _Hikari thought.

The rest of the Shichinintai members felt the atmosphere changing and felt uneasy.

"Do you think we should do something?" Mukotsu whispered to Renkotsu.

Renkotsu shook his head, and a smile appeared on his face. "Let them. Let's see how this is going to end."

Hikari thought hard, all the while holding Bankotsu's gaze. _"We want to get to Mt. Hakurei. To the North-East. I can look at the stars to tell where we're going, but we can't travel at night. And I can't tell where we're going in the morning since I can't see a thing._

_"Looking for directions on our own is impossible in that case. The only way we can continue moving is by asking directions. Maybe travelers, or villagers. But once they see the Band Of Seven, they'll freak! Only I can talk to them, so maybe if I ask Bankotsu to give me more freedom... No, Jakotsu would complain..."_

And she had an idea.

It might kill her, but it was worth a shot.

She closed her eyes.

Bankotsu thought that she had given up, but he could tell that she was concentrating. Concentrating for what, exactly? For a plan? Or did she just feel something and tried to see if she wasn't imagining anything?

And she opened her eyes.

"There's a village nearby," was what she said.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Kagome laid down on the soft grass and looked up at the sky.

She heard the news.

_"My time is in danger too." _

The thought horrified her, but then she heard Sango say that the Resurrector may not waster his time in the future too much. Now that she and Inuyasha were back here, the Resurrector would probably stay here.

And she felt relieved. A little.

It has been two days since Mistress Centipede attacked her and Inuyasha. Her friend's leg was healing slowly. He started feeling his leg again, and started walking.

The Inutachi would be on the move again.

A shadow crept up on her and blocked the sunlight. Miroku's face appeared. "Hi, Kagome."

She smiled and sat up. "Hi Miroku. How's Inuyasha doing?"

"Not too bad. Kaede's treating him right now, and I just came out here to get some peace and quiet."

"I know what you mean."

Nobody wants to hear Inuyasha screaming when Kaede is treating him.

Kagome remembered something. "Oh! That's right."

She started patting her clothes as if searching for something. Miroku looked confused. And she found it. She held out the sutra her grandfather gave her and showed it to Miroku.

"Do you know what this thing does? My grandfather gave it to me."

He observed it for a second and took it. "Let's see here..."

"Gandpa said that it was going to give me protection, but he's probably wrong again," said Kagome.

Miroku blinked. "Well this certainly explains it."

"Huh? Explain what?"

"You know how you weren't poisoned, but that Inuyasha was, right? It seems that this sutra protects whoever is holding it from any type of poison. It's a rare sutra these days." He gave it back to her.

Kagome looked surprised. "Really?" She smiled. "Looks like I got lucky."

The monk smiled too. "Indeed. And right now, we're going to need all the luck we can get."

He turned around and said, "I'm going to go back to Inuyasha. He's going to start wondering where 'that lecherous monk' got to."

Kagome watched him leave, and looked back at her sutra. _"That's right. These days, we're going to need all the luck we can get. Now that the Resurrector actually shows himself now and then, we're bound to bump into him some day."_

Naraku's face came into her mind. _"What if he's the one reviving everyone? We're going to have to beat him, of course but... What if he came back stronger than he was before, like the demons? This isn't the first time he's using henchmen, after all," _she thought, thinking about the Band Of Seven.

_"And if he is responsible, then how did he come back? Did we really kill him all those months ago? Or did he just play dead, and waited for us to lower our guard before stabbing us in the back?"_

Hikari showed up in her thoughts. She missed her friend so much.

She always seemed to try to cheer people up, even in the darkest of times. When someone was troubled, she always found a way to make them smile again.

Kagome couldn't imagine her being happy with the Band Of Seven.

But... then again, Sango mentionned this earlier, a little after Hikari was captured: _"When she spoke about her relationship with Bankotsu, she looked... like she was dreaming. She looked happy."_

_"Are she and Bankotsu really that close?" _she wondered. _"Then again, Bankotsu did keep saying that I was a lot like her. He kept on bragging about how Hikari is, like he knew a lot about her."_

She felt a little spark of envy towards Hikari. _"Bankotsu's probably the loyal type, so there's no way that he might try to cheat on her."_

But inside, she knew that she was happy for her. Even though Bankotsu was a total jerk, he does kinda look like a good type for Hikari. He didn't say much about her beauty, unlike other men. And Hikari was strong enough to fight her own demons.

Maybe they really are in love.

But if they were, why did Bankotsu kidnap her? And why did she look so upset about it?

Did Hikari maybe fall for someone else durinf the time Bankotsu was dead?

All this thinking was making her miss her friend even more. Kagome missed her smile, and the soft sound of her flute when she wanted to cheer her up after she got into a fight with Inuyasha.

Kagome groaned, and laid down on the soft grass again. She looked up at the sky.

And she wondered if Hikari was looking at the same sky as her, at that very moment.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari suddenly felt something poke her at the back of her mind. And she looked up at the sky in confusion.

And she smiled.

She didn't know why she did. She just did. That's all.

"Something wrong?" Bankotsu asked.

She shook her head. "No, nothing."

"Lady Hikari!" A little boy ran up to her and pulled on her blue kimono sleeve. His little eyes were wide with worry. "My friend got **hurt**! Her knee is **bleeding**! We have to go quick!"

The kid already started running away, and Hikari followed. "Alright, there is no need to rush!"

She said over her shoulder to Bankotsu, "I'll be right back, you just go search for someplace to stay at!"

Bankotsu scowled, "Yeah, yeah."

He remembered what she had said after she announced that a village was close. He and his brothers all thought that they were crazy when she mentionned a village.

And then, they heard her idea.

**_FLASHBACK_**

"Before you say anything, hear me out," Hikari said.

They kept quiet.

"Good," she sighed. "I'm thinking about asking for directions from the villagers. I'll see where we are right now and we'll head for the direction of the Ox-Tiger."

"It won't work," Renkotsu said. "Once they know who you are, they're going to want to keep you for at least a day. And even if you get a new name, they'll recognise you from your swords and appearance."

She nodded. "I know that. I'll stay there for a night, and I'll get directions. You men can stay hidden, at least a kilometer or two away from the village so that the villagers don't see you. It's as simple as that."

"Doesn't sound to bad," said Suikotsu.

"Except for the fact that we won't be able to kill it," Jakotsu mumbled.

"And that we can't go to see the women," Mukotsu added.

"Oh, no it's not," Bankotsu objected. "You're going to be free to do anything you want for a whole day. And what if there's a demon problem? They're going to have to keep you there for a week, and by then, you might forget what we're looking for!"

"Believe me, I haven't sensed any demons nearby," she said calmly. "And I'm not the type to forget anything or to go against my word."

That was true. The leader didn't have anything to say against that. But he still couldn't leave her alone. Who knows how many men can try to take advantage of her and... he didn't dare think about the rest.

So he said, "I'll come with you."

It was her turn to look surprised. "What?"

"You heard me. I'm not going to leave you alone in that village. Someone needs to look after you."

"I can look after myself fine, thanks."

"I don't think so. You never know when someone might try to trick you with their innocent faces. You need someone to go with you."

She glared at him. There he goes again, with that same protective aura of his. Geez. "What about your face markings? If someone of the village recognises it, we're both dead."

He grinned. And all of a sudden, the purple star on his forehead vanished, and left his skin completly intact. As if the marking wasn't ever there. "Excuse me, but just what face marking are you talking about?"

She growled. Damn. She forgot about that. **(A/N: I bet you forgot about it too, huh? Remember, Renkotsu disguised himself as a monk once, so his purple arrows weren't visible. But then, they reappeared again. Like magic :D)**

She sighed in frustration. "Fine, fine, I guess I can deal with someone stalking around."

Bankotsu smirked. Turns out that he won in the end.

_**END FALSHBACK**_

But now, he isn't feeling as cocky as he was before. It's only been an hour that he and Hikari arrived in the village, and already, Hikari was being surrounded.

The villagers figured out who she was. Their description of her was 'A beautiful maiden dressed in a blue kimono, her long black hair coming down to her waist and flowing in the wind, having eyes as blue as the clear sky, and a smile rivaling an angel's'.

And of course, the two demon blades on her back.

She decided to keep them.

It was thanks to Buddah that nobody recognised Bankotsu. The rumour has spred that the Band Of Seven has been resurrected, and he was going to have to be careful if he didn't want to get caught.

He had to borrow Suikotsu's clothes to look like a normal man, even though it made him look real weird.

And he kept Banryuu.

That's right, the rest of his brothers and Hikari insisted that he leaved Banryuu behind, but Bankotsu held his companion close like a baby and his favorite toy. He even whined like one.

So in the end, the huge sword followed him everywhere. Turns out that the clothes weren't even useful since Banryuu was enough to get people suspicious.

He and Hikari were taking a stroll around the place for a few seconds, and already the people started coming. Of course, they held their distances because of Banryuu. Because of its size and because people were scared of it.

Bankotsu watched Hikari leave and felt annoyed. _"She is NOT going to leave me alone HERE. Not with all these people around. Not with all these people who are going to drive me crazy." _He refused to believe it.

Well, she just did.

He growled in frustration and went after her. Before long, he found her surrounded by a bunch of children with worried expressions. Hikari was kneeled in front of a little girl and looking carefully at her knee.

"Who are this little girl's parents?" she asked to the kids around her.

The boy who came to get her answered, "Her father's out gathering food, and... her mother... well... she's..."

His pained expression was enough. Hikari understood what it meant. And she felt an even greater sympathy than she felt before. "I need someone to go get me some water and cloth!"

"We'll get it!" Two twins said together and ran off together.

They rushed past Bankotsu and he watched them leave. He turned his head back to the small crowd and looked at Hikari. She was hugging the girl in her arms and whispering comforting words to her ear. It seemed to work.

He watched as her beautiful face melted into a smile. He hadn't forgotten the reason why she was so fond of kids.

She was a child herself once, only he lived a hard life. A very hard one, in fact. She didn't want children to know the same suffering she did. The least she could do was keep them happy and smiling.

Then, he wondered how she would be with her own children if she would ever have any.

He smirked.

_"Not **if**. **When**."_

There was only one person good enough for her. And that was him. And the only children she would bear will be his.

"Hello, sir."

He jumped as a man came up behind him and spoke. The man was about in his early twenties and was an inch taller than Bankotsu, and looked rather handsome. Although, his eyes sparkled with something that made Bankotsu feel uncomfortable.

"Er... hi."

The man smiled. "My name is Shoji. Nice to meet you," he said as he held out his hand. "You were the man accompanying Lady Hikari when she got here, am I wrong?"

Bankotsu guessed that this was the part where you take the guy's hand, shake it, say your name, smile, and say 'nice to meet you too'. But he only did the first three steps and didn't do the two last ones. "... Bankotsu," he said as he shook Shoji's hand.

Shoji's eyes slightly widened in shock. "Bankotsu? Wasn't that... the name of the leader of the Band of Seven?"

Shit. He blew it. He should have changed his name. If he didn't come up with an idea fast, he could kick his ass goodbye from here. "Oh, um, yes... Well... my mother hated me when she gave birth to me... and she wanted to give me the worst name possible. The name of a famous band of killers was 'perfect for me', she thought."

"Ah, I see," Shoji looked liked he pitied him. "I'm truly sorry."

Bankotsu wanted to growl at him, but kept his mouth shut. He hated to see the look of pity in people's eyes, especially if that pity was for him. Pity ment weaknes and he certainly didn't like being weak.

Shoji continued, "Couldn't you have taken another name?"

"I don't need another name. One is good enough."

"Yes, but what if some people take you for the leader of the Band Of Seven...? With that large sword of yours, I wouldn't be surprised if many thought so..."

Bankotsu blinked. That's right, this guy was _that_ clueless. "I'm not afraid of them."

Shoji smiled. "A brave man you are."

Bankotsu casted his attention back to Hikari. The twins returned, and she was now treating the kid's injury. He couldn't help but feel a little envious towards the little girl.

That injury was nothing compared to what he had. And yet, Hiakri was looking at the child with more compassion in her eyes.

In those beautiful eyes of hers...

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Shoji suddenly asked.

Bankotsu lightly growled at him for interupting his gazing at Hikari, "You already did."

"Oh... then I'll ask something else."

There was a short moment of silence, and then, the man asked, "Are you and Lady Hikari perhaps... lovers?"

The question caught him totally off guard. Bankotsu's eyes widened and he stared at Shoji in shock. But he didn't say anything.

Shoji wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Hikari.

Looking at her with those eyes. The type of eyes you only give to some you love. Or at least someone you're interested in. And that look made Bankotsu want to kill him. It wouldn't be too hard, right? Banryuu was in his hand, and a single slash would be good enough to-

"She's a woman with a rare beauty," Shoji said. "Rumour has it that she has the heart as strong as gold, as pure as light, and as warm as fire. The sight of her smile is enough to cure the worst of sicknesses. It was told that once one meets her face to face, one will die without any regrets."

"You can't always believe in rumours," Bankotsu said with a smirk.

"So you know her very well, do you not?"

He blinked. Did he have to answer that? "... You can say that I do."

"So am I correct? You _are_ lovers?"

He didn't answer immediatly. If Bankotsu lied, Shoji would probably start trying to make a move on Hikari. And he was sure that Shoji wasn't the only one running after her. Other will try as well. And he was pretty damn sure that he didn't want that.

So he told him the truth. His truth, at least, "Yes, we are."

"... I see."

There was no emotion when he said that. Nor any warmth in his eyes from before.

Bankotsu was convinced that this conversation was over. So he left Shoji and walked over to Hikari.

The little girl she was taking care of stopped crying and was standing up, surounded by her friends who were asking her if she was feeling better. Only the little boy who came to get Hikari stood back and watched.

Bankotsu saw her whisper a few words to the boy, and the boy blushed. Then, when the kids ran off to play another game, the boy followed.

Hikari must have already known that he was right behind her, since she said, "That boy... he loves her, you know."

He nodded. "It's kind of obvious from the way he came to you screaming like a demon was about to take him away. And then, he looked so depressed when he said that her mother died."

Her eyes grew softer. "It's kind of cute how kids can start falling in love at such a young age."

"Hey, it doesn't take much, you know. Girl gets in trouble, boy saves her, and that's it. Girl's in love and won't let go of him. When the guy falls in love, the girl just needs to give him a smile, and there we have it, young love."

She smiled at him. "You sure know a lot about these things."

He shrugged. "Don't forget that I lived in a village once too."

Hikari stood up. "Come on, we should go find a small temple to stay at. We'll find out where we are and we'll head back out to your brothers tomorow morning."

"Right."

Hikari must have sensed people living inside a temple already, so she lead the way. On their way there, people stared. Some stared with smiles, and some others glared. Most of those glares were from men. And those glares were surely for him.

It seemed that Shoji has told everyone that they were lovers. _"Looks like word spreads out pretty fast here," _Bankotsu noticed. And by the odd way Hikari was shifting her glance at everyone, she must have noticed that something was odd.

But whenever she looked at someone who was glaring at Bankotsu, those people's faces would light up to a smile, and would lose their warmth as soon as she looked away.

Those who were smiling probably felt happy that even the last of the L. Healers found her other half. Children stared with wide eyes of shock, or awe as she and Bankotsu passed them.

They finally arrived in front of the temple and looked inside. "Hello?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, come in, come in!" An old voice sounded from another room.

An elderly woman and a young girl about Hikair's age showed up, bowed, and smiled warmly at them. The old one said, "Please, stay for as long as you like, dear travelers. Of course, you're going to have to pay a few yen."

The young lady stared in shock and whispered to the elder. "Grandmother, can't you see? They're Lady Hikari and her husband!"

Hikari blushed at the word 'husband' and Bankotsu smirked.

The grandmother came closer, closer, and a little too close to Hikari to see her clearly. And then, her voice yelled, "Why of course! Forgive me, my Lady, please, just make yourself comfy and forget about what I sais about paying! Do as you like here, please!"

Hikari looked surprised and insisted, "No, no. Please, don't give me so much respect, I should be the one to adress you with such words. And also, I will pay just as any customer, I don't want to sound too unfair here."

The old woman brushed away a tear of joy with her sleeve and wheeped, "Oh, it's so good to know that there are still young people like you who respect their elders. I can finally die in peace."

The L. Healer smiled. "I just need two rooms for-"

Bankotsu interupted her with a grin, "Ah, ah, ah. **One** room."

She blushed and exclaimed, "What? Absolutely not! That-"

The old lady seemed to have a gleem that matched Bankotsus' and said, "Masa, dear, please take these two to their one room."

"Umm... yes, Grandmother."

And before they knew it, they were walking down the hallway. People had the same expressions as they had when Hikari and Bankotsu were outside. Some still glared, and some smiled. Hikari glanced at Bankotsu and he caught her eye.

_"We're discussing this later," _her eyes said.

Inside their room, Masa was showing them what was what. "This is here is the closet. And if you like, we can give you new clothes and a free washing. we wouldn't usually do this, but you are a special guest, and Grandmother would certainly perfer you to have the best comfort."

Before Hikari could answer, Bankotsu flashed her a smile and said, "Yeah, that would be nice, thanks." He wanted to get out of Suikotsu's clothes ASAP.

The healer spotted a light blush show on Masa's face. The girl's tone was so light that they almost couldn't hear it. "Yes. Umm... umm... you can com downstairs... anytime to eat..." And she went outside.

They watched her leave, and on her way out, they saw other people looking at them.

And they breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed.

"Bankotsu..." Hikari started. "Just what did you tell them?"

"I swear on Baryuu, I didn't know that this would happen."

"If you put it that way, then I believe you," she said. "But I'm asking you what you told them."

"Can't you just read their minds for that?" He desperatly didn't want to tell her. It may make him sound too protective, and therefore, she'll get upset and possibly send him unconcious. He knew what she could do when she was angry.

"There's too many thoughts going through their heads. I can't tell what's true or not. Some of them are thinking that we're getting **married**, and some of them are saying that you **hypnotized** me with some evil spell."

She didn't have anything bad to say when it came to the 'marrige' part, so Bankotsu thought that it was okay to tell her. "I told one of the men of the village that we're lovers."

"... Lovers?" Hikari didn't sound outraged. That was a good sign. Or was it...?

"Yeah."

She faceplamed. "I can't believe this."

Bankotsu was surprised that she hadn't broken one of his bones yet. She asked him, "What made you tell the villager that we were lovers?"

He looked down at his shining halberd. "This guy, Shoji, asked if we were. Of course, I could have told him that we weren't, but he had that look in his eye. It wasn't a leacherous look, it was more like... Soft. Too soft to give to someone you didn''t even talk to.

And he looked into her eyes. "If I didn't tell him that we we lovers, I'm sure that he would have tried to make a move on you by now."

Hikari sighed. "When I traveled alone, I never had any problems like these since I didn't have any close relationships with anyone. And the guys just made a move on me without even bothering to know if I was taken or not."

Bankotsu felt a twinge of jealousy and fury at the same time. Jealousy because the men actually had time with Hikari's soft side, never her hard side. Fury because they were flirting with **his** woman.

"And what was **that** about?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"The smile you gave to Masa, what else?" She said as if it was obvious.

"Oh, well I needed to change into something." And something popped up into his mind. He smirked, "Why? Are you jealous?"

She frowned. "Why would I be jealous? I've seen so many tricks pathetic tricks of yours, I think I forgot how to be jealous."

She just had to bring down the mood. "True, true."

She sighed. "Anyways, I guess we're going to have to deal with those looks for a day." She took off her shethes from her back and placed them on the ground. "I'm going to go ask someone where we are, and if possible, I'll ask for a map."

She started heading outside and said, "You can stay here if you like. And look around. I'm guessing that this won't take too long."

"Guessing?"

She shrugged. "Who knows, I might get caught into a deep conversation about my 'husband'." She walked out and closed the door behind her.

Bankotsu smirked as the thought came into his mind. _"Hikari's husband, Bankotsu... kinda has a good ring to it."_

He looked at the room. It was fancy, of course. with someone like Hikari here, he wouldn't be surprised if the owner of this temple wanted them to feel at home.

There were paintings on the walls, and beautiful lanterns on the ceiling. If he opened the door to outside, he had a full view of the village. The folded beds in the closet were soft and there was no doubt that he and Hikari were going to sleep like babies tonight.

He paused as naughty thoughts went through his mind. Apparently, 'Hikari', 'sleep', and 'babies' made a certain part of his body harden.

And when something shiny caught his eye, he looked at Hikari's swords.

He never understood how she could leave these powerful blades anywhere she wanted. He remembered her saying that they were passed down from her father. Her great father... So why won't she bring them everywhere with her?

A few minutes later, Hikari came back holding something in her hands, and was followed by Masa right behind her. The smell of the air from when the girls came in told him it was food.

The healer placed her small table on the floor, and Masa placed her table right next to hers.

Masa pulled out some clothes from under the small table and said, "These are the extra clothes you asked for."

She smiled at her. "Thank you, Masa." She pulled out a few coins from her pocket and gave them to the girl. "Here's the amount of money we owe you for the night."

Masa's eyes widened in shock. "But... But this is too much! You should be paying a lot less than this..."

"Oh, please. I know that we're special guests, but we should still be paying just as much as the other travelers here. Take it. I'm guessing that it should cost this much for the beautiful room we're staying in."

The servant smiled gratefully. "Thank you." And with that, she went out.

As soon as she was gone, Bankotsu jumped onto his food and dug in.

"You should have told me you were hungry," Hikari teased.

As expected, Bankotsu finished eating before her. After their meal, she showed him the map she got from Masa's grandmother. "We're here," she pointed to a small hill on the map.

"And where are we supposed to go?" Bankotsu asked impatiently.

"Here." She pointed to a bigger hill colered in a light pink. "Masa's grandmother told me this map is old. The maps these days took off Mt. Hakurei and replaced it with a moutain of shattered rocks."

Bankotsu analysed the distance between where they were and Mt. Hakurei. He groaned. "Judging by the distance, I'd say it'll take us over two weeks to get there if we travel by foot."

Hikari didn't seem to care. "Then I guess there's going to be more traveling." Her gaze traveled through the map, when something caught her eye.

He wondered what was wrong. "What's the matter?"

She still seemed distracted, but she shook her head. "... No. Nevermind. It's... nothing important."

Bankotsu tilted his head. "... Alright, then. I'm going to go change into the clothes the girl gave me."

"Okay."

Even though he put the subject aside, he still wonderd why she seemed so disturbed when he looked at the map. He went to get his clothes, and as he passed by Hikari, he took a quick look to the map she was holding.

And he understood why her mood suddenly changed.

The map was probably over six years old. And probably a very special and very secret one.

How did he know?

Because that map had the secret village of the legendary healers on it.

* * *

**Now the chapters are going to shorter than the others since I'm impatient with finishing this story (I can't work with two stories at once!). Even though there's probably going to be 10 more chapters or so. **

**Plus, I have so many projects to do... T.T**

**Anyways, hope you liked it!**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	16. A Night In The Village

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 15**

"I can walk on my own just fine!"

"No, you can't! Kaede said that if you keep moving, the poison will spread all over again! You should be grateful that Kagome can't 'sit' you for three more days!" Shippou yelled at his half demon friend.

"Who said that I needed healing? I'm a half demon, damn it! I can heal faster than humans!"

Miroku snook up behind him and wacked his friend's head with his staff. "You can heal faster than us, but you're still a half demon. And even if you were a full demon, it would take time for you to get rid of the poison. Listen to us for once and get some rest."

Inuyasha glared at the monk and started to protest. "But-"

"No 'buts'," Kagome said as she appeared next to Miroku. "After that fight, you should get some good rest before we start heading out again."

The dog laid his ears on his head and growled, "Fine."

But even if he said that, he jumped up a tree, laid down on his favorite branch and sulked. Miroku and Kagome sighed.

"I can't say I blame him for being so mad." Sango appeared from Kaede's hut and was followed by Kohaku. "No one can stand being useless to a team. And slowing down the team is even worse."

"It's true, we need to move as quick as possible," Miroku commented. "But we can wait as well. The Resurrector doesn't work as fast as we think. The only resurrected people we met so far were Yura of the Hair, the Band of Seven, and Mistress Centipede.

He drew a few heads on the ground with his staff. "Three weeks after we've encountered Yura," he circled one of the heads and drew tons of lines on it, "... we met the Band of Seven." He took circled seven of the heads, "... And after a perhaps a month and a week, Mistress Centipede appeared." He drew a huge oval. "Notice anything?"

"I see," Kohaku whispered.

"What? What is it?" Shippou asked as he jumped on Miroku's shoulder.

"Does the Resurrector need to do preparations before bringing someone to life?" Kagome asked, not too sure of herself.

"Something like that," Miroku answered. "I'm guessing that during the three weeks after Yura, the Resurrector needed to recuperate his energy and find the remains of the Band of Seven before bringing them back.

"Then, since he resurrected _seven_ people, he needed more time to recover, and since Mistress Centipede, his next victim, was so big, he also needed more time for preparations. Think about it, Naraku needed a second to bring people back, but now that the Shikon Jewel doesn't exist, it takes the Resurrector weeks."

"But if that's the case, he must have really good timing," Shippou noticed. "If he knew that Kagome and Inuyasha were going to pass through the well at _that exact moment_, then not only will he be able to go through time, but he might also be able to see the future!"

Miroku, Sango, Kohaku, and Kagome stared at him.

"W-what? D-did I say something wrong?" The little fox stuttered.

"No, Shippou," Miroku shook his head, frowing. "What you said actually makes sense."

"But what kind of person would have that sort of power?" Kagome asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"It doesn't matter who it is," Sango said. "What we have to keep in mind is that this isn't some ordinary person we're up against. This time, our enemy is putting both the future and our era in terrible danger."

"In that case," Kohaku spoke, "What do you think we should do?"

Inuyasha jumpd down from his tree and said, "What else? We train until our arms fall out! And while we're at it, we should start looking for Hikari!"

"Hikari's help won't be enough," Sango shook her head sadly. "She may be a legendary healer, but she isn't invincible. She has a few demonic abilities, but she's still human. Nobody in this world is immortal. And usually, the legendary healer's training finishes at the age of fourteen. But... her village was destroyed when she was ten."

Inuyasha growled. "Then when we get her back, we'll kill the Band of Seven first as training, and then, we'll train even harder!"

Kagome and Sango froze at 'kill the Band of Seven'. Did Inuyasha really mean it when he said that? And what about Hikari? What if Bankotsu died again? How would she feel? And what if... it's been a month and a week since she left with the band of mercenaries. That must have been enough to make her comfortable with the men.

What if her feelings grew warmer towards them?

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

They all looked at Miroku. "What do you mean a 'good idea'?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I mean about killing the Band of Seven," he said calmly. "If the Resurrector is as strong as we think he is, then we need all the help we can get. Koga and Sesshomaru must be having troubles as well, I'm sure they would like to form an alliance until this is all over.

"Koga had the birds of paradise as enemies, and we killed their leader. Also, there were the panther demons who held a grudge agaisnt you and Sesshomaru. That giant cat may come back, even if there is a small truce between you two."

Inuyasha growled. "We don't need their help. And you know that I can't stand either of their presences. Or their smells."

"That's not much of a bad idea." Sango took Miroku's side.

"Same here," Kagome and Kohaku said.

Miroku spoke again, "I said 'until this is over', Inuyasha, not 'for the rest of your days'. Now, if I may continue-"

"I know what you're going to say," the dog interupted. "You're going to ask the Band of Seven to help us too, aren't you?"

The rest of the Inutachi except Miroku's eyes widened in shock, and they all stared at the monk. He looked completly calm and sure of his plan. Sango and Kagome wondered if he had read their minds like Hikari would.

The monk sighed. "I'm sure none of you like this idea at all. Neither do I. But like I said, we need all the help we can get. And the Band of Seven are six strong men _brought back from the Resurrector_. Plus, if we have some people who have been brought back not once, but twice, we may be able to get some sort of clues.

"And-" he added before Inuyasha could say anything else, "-This is an alliance. As soon as this is all over, you can kill them if you want."

The dog demon growled at Miroku and looked like he was about to pounce on him and slap some sense out of him. But then, he turned his back to them all and said, "Feh. I'll give it some thought. But in the end, _I_ decide if we form an alliance or not."

And he went back to sulking in his tree.

"Miroku..." Sango started.

"I know," the monk sighed again. "It's a crazy idea."

"No, I don't mean that...You're idea's fine... In fact, I think it's great... But..."

"Hm? Then what is it?"

"What if... the Band of Seven doesn't want to join us? You're seen them the last time we met. They were ready to attack us if we ever took a _step_ closer to them," she reminded him of the night they gave in Hikari.

"Something tells me they won't do that," Kagome spoke.

She continued, "They might also want to know who brought them back from Hell. Maybe that's why they took Hikari. And, if we work together, we have more chances to find him together. I'm sure that by now, the Band of Seven and Hikari know things that we don't, and we know things that they don't. We _have_ to work together."

"Kagome's right," Kohaku said. "But the Band of Seven is greedy for power. They might be trying to find the Resurrector to gain more power, or just to know if that person should be killed for bringing them here. But either way, they want to find him right?"

Miroku nodded. "Yes, that's true. And they aren't idiots, they can't refuse an offer like this."

"They can," Sango corrected. "If they're full of pride. And if they think that this is a plan for us to get Hikari back."

"It's true, they'll get suspicious," Shippou added.

Everyone sighed.

"Thinking about this won't help much, will it?" Kagome asked. "We should focus on getting someone we can actually go after."

"Yes, like Koga," Sango agreed. "He lives near the mountains, and we haven't seen him in a while. No doubt he'll be overjoyed when he hears that you need his help," she said to Kagome.

"Me? Don't you mean 'we'?"

"When 'we' pass by his mind, you and Inuyasha are the ones that comes into his mind first," Shippou said.

"Ugh... Right."

"And what about Sesshomaru?" Miroku asked.

Everbody imagines the great dog demon walking along side them, with Rin singing happily, non aware of the dark and ugly atmosphere around her. They all sighed again.

"He's going to be a little harder to convince," said Kohaku.

"Yup," they all said together.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Why, Lady Hikari, where are you going with all those baskets? Are you leaving already? And at a time this late?" an old man in the fields asked.

Hikari smiled. "Oh, no. We're going to be back soon, please don't worry about us! We will be fine!"

And she and Bankotsu continued walking with giant baskets above their heads. Actually, Hikari had two baskets above her head. Bankotsu held three under his arms and held Banryuu in his free hand.

"'We'll be fine'?" he asked. "Look at you! You're sweating after holding two of these things for ten minutes!"

Yes, she was sweating. And she was starting to pant too. She tried to grumble, "Well... excuse me... for not having... the super strength of... a man like you."

Bankotsu sighed and smiled. "Why don't you let me hold one?"

Hikari huffed, walked faster and ahead of him, and yelled, "I'm fine!"

But then, of course, ten seconds later, she started to fall back again and panted even more. Bankotsu rolled his eyes, walked to her and teased her as he started trowing the baskets up and down on his hands, "You sure can take care of this well."

"Shut... up..."

"Look, let me take one. It'll make things a lot easier, you know. For one, it'll get us faster to the others, and for two, you'll probably still be breathing by the time we get there."

Hikari shot him a dirty look. "I might not be able to endure much in anything, but I have enough guts to continue and not die from something so stupid."

"And you also have enough guts to refuse such a _generous_ offer from the leader of the Band of Seven, the most _feared_ man of all history," he put a lot of emphasis on the words 'generous' and 'feared'.

She rolled her eyes. "Most feared man, my ass. You didn't scare me at all the first time we met, and never did. And I'm sure that there are demons scarier than you."

He frowned. "Alright, so most feared _human_ man of all history."

She groaned and he smirked. "Never mind. Let's just get going."

As she walked on, she tripped over a rock. That's right, a tiny rock made her fall.

What did you expect, she was holding over thirty kilograms above her head, and even if she tried to stop the fall with her over free leg (which she did), the weight would have been too much, and she would have slipped anyways (which she did).

Bankotsu got under her just in time to stop her. He held all three of his baskets in one hand, planted Banryuu in the ground, and used his other free arm to hold her. Hikari's basket opened slightly, and fruits rolled out.

Her bue eyes met Bankotsu's. And for a moment, she didn't give a damn about the fruits getting dirty on the floor or the fact that she made herself look like a real idiot. She was lost in those beautiful sky blue eyes of his shining in the dark...

He smirked. "Someone needs to listen more to her 'husband' and watch her steps."

She blinked, and reality sunck in. She shook her head and tried to stand back up, but he stopped her. "Hey, aren't I getting anything special for this?" he asked with a malicious grin on his face.

Hikari blushed very slightly. She looked down. It was in situation like this that she couldn't think straight. "Um... Er..."

He chuckled and went in for the kill. He quikly made sure that nobody was looking before he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Oh, how he missed this feeling. Even though the last time they were like this was back when she wasn't a captive, when she was still with Inuyasha, it was long enough to feel like an eternity to him.

The main reason why they couldn't be alone like this together was because of his brothers.

So it appears that coming to this village wasn't so bad after all.

Hikari relaxed and closed her eyes. She forgot about the basket full of food on her head and let the world melt around her. She missed the touch of his lips on hers too. And now there wasn't a sight his brothers anywhere, they're alone, and finally...

An apple landed on Bankotsu's head and made him yell, "OUCH!"

Hikari took a step back in shock. The fruit must have dropped from the basket when she was feeling her arms go numb.

The apple dropped down from his head onto his hand and he glared at it hard as if he were going to kill it with his best attack. He growled, "Damn fruit."

She couldn't help it. She bursted into laughter, and the last basket she was holding fell. Bankotsu glared at her too, then smiled, and then he couldn't keep his laughter in anymore.

They were both laughing there like a bunch of children when at any time, one of Bankotsu's brothers could come in and interupt their fun.

But they didn't care at all. It didn't matter.

To Bankotsu, Hikari's beautiful laughter was worth all of it.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Jakotsu. You and Suikotsu will go hunting tonight," Renkotsu ordered.

"What? But why?" the cross-dresser whined.

"Because Suikotsu and I did it this afternoon. And since Big Brother isn't here, you're going to have to go with Suikotsu instead."

"I'm not talking about that!" Jakotsu snorted. "I'm saying **why** I have to go! Nobody's really hungry right now, so we don't need to go and find something to eat!"

Then, Mukotsu's stomac grumbled. They all stared at the old man. "Actually, I may need something..."

"You can endure it till morning," Jakotsu insisted.

"But... Hikari said that I should continue eating to stay healthy," he said.

"Listen to you! You sound like a kid following his mother's orders! And how old are you now, like seventy? You don't need to listen to everything she has to say!"

"Jakotsu, what's going on with you today?" Suikotsu asked. "You've been a real pain in the ass ever since Bankotsu left."

The gay man looked like he was about to yell again, but he sighed. "I guess I'm feeling a little ticked off that Big Brother left with the woman."

"We all are," Renkotsu said. "But this is to find who resurrected us. A single day waiting for Big Brother to arrive is fine. Somethings are worth the wait and you have to learn to be patient."

"That's not what's bothering me! I just hate it how this girl is almost becoming a part of **our** life! She almost has as much as authority as Bankotsu, even though she doesn't order us around, and she's doing everything she wants, like one of us!"

"She not like one of us..." said Suikotsu.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Jakotsu ut him off. "Look at you, Suikotsu, you've already grown a soft side for her! And you," he added to Mukotsu, "You're nicer to her not because she's just a woman, but because she holds an importance in your life! You could have died without her so you think she's important! But what about Kyoukotsu? She couldn't save him and she let him die!"

Suikotsu and Mukotsu bristled with fury. Treating his brothers with such weaknesses, oh, he's going to pay.

Renkotsu knew that this wasn't going end well and intervened, "Jakotsu, that's enough. Don't try to pick a fight with such ridiculous things."

Jakotsu swung his head at him and yelled even more. "Even you, Renkotsu! You've all started calling our captive by her name. I hate it! This is a sign of weakness for the Band of Seven! And look at Big Brother! The girl's literally captured his heart even before we met her!

"What will happen to us if we keep her here? We'll have to go from village to village like this and waste our time when we can go on with our lives and live like before! This stupid girl swisted our life and turned it upside down!"

"And what would this stupid girl think if she ever heard you say all that?"

Everyone froze.

Hikari and Bankotsu stood behind them, Hikari holding one basket, and Bankotsu holding the rest.

Their leader looked furious. His blue eyes flared in the darkness of the forest, and he looked like he would jump on Jakotsu's throat any second. His grip and Banryuu tightened and his knuckles were growing pale. But Hikari looked completly emotionless. There wasn't any sadness or any fury in her eyes.

The memebers of the Shichinintai didn't know what to do. They stared in shock and waited for the next move. But the only words they were able to stutter was, "Big Brother and... Hikari..."

They expected something horrible to happen. Like Bankotsu slashing Jakotsu's head off with his sword. But no, nothing happened.

Hikar only shrugged and said, "It's not like I expected any less than that."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Master Jaken! We need fire now!" Rin called.

The little green demon waddled up to the pile of branches Rin prepared and used his staff to make the fire. When it was all done, he sat down and sighed. "Traveling is getting harder and harder these days. Because of all those demons..."

"I know what you mean," Rin said. The girl looked up at the moon. "Recently the demons have been getting stronger and stronger. Right, Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru was sitting down further away from the fire than Rin and Jaken. He had his back turned to them and seemed deep in thought. A trickle of blood was sliding down from his arm.

"Hush, Rin!" Jaken ordered. "Lord Sesshomaru is very tired after saving from that demon! The least you can do is keep quiet and let him rest. He doesn't need your worthless babling to-"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru's cool voice sounded.

"Erm, yes?"

"Go find Rin something to eat. It's getting dark and it will be dangerous for her to go out on her own."

"Oh, um, yes, my Lord!" Jaken stood up and ran off to the forest.

Rin watched him leave. _"It's getting so dangerous that we can't even travel during the night anymore." _She looked at Sesshomaru and felt a pang of guilt. _"Its my fault Lord Sesshomaru is like this. I was in trouble and now his arm is hurt. If there was only something I could do..._

_"I'm not a weak little girl anymore," _she told herself. _"I'm stronger than three months ago, aren't I? I survived Naraku's battle, and I'm still alive now. That prooves that I'm strong. But..." _As she looked at Sesshomaru again, she felt even more pain. _"Yes, I can survive... But what can I do to help my friends?"_

Ah-Un sensed her sadness and shook shoved her gently with his two heads. Rin pet him and sighed. Things weren't getting any better. Naraku was finally gone, so what happenning to them?

"Rin," Sesshomaru suddenly said.

"Oh, yes?"

"I'm going to bring you to the girl Kagome's village tomorrow. And you're going to stay there."

Rin's eyes widened and she jumped up to her feet. "What? But why? I don't want to leave!"

What was all this about? This couldn't be because she was getting in the way, would it? Was this problem getting so big that Sesshomaru needed to get rid of her? This couldn't be happening. Whta about all those times they traveled together? Why did he let her tag along then?

"You're going to be safer."

"But I want to stay here!" Tears were appearing in her eyes. "I promise I'll be good! I won't get into trouble! I'll take good care of Ah-Un! Just let me stay here..." Life without Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't be the same. Even if she was safer, the only thing she would go through everyday was pain from missing her very first friends.

Sesshomaru remained silent. And the silence was killing her. Was he going to change his mind? Or will he scold her for not listening to him?

And he spoke again. "Very well. But we're going to that village to see what we can do anyways. Now dry those tears. You need to get to sleep soon."

Rin smiled and brushed away the water in her eyes. "Okay." She felt so relieved. But she knew that he might change his mind once they get to the village. Despite that, she still felt happy. If she was going stay in the village for the rest of her life, then she might as well have the rest of the time tomorrow with her friends.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Give it a rest, Bankotsu," Hikari sighed. "You're scaring the villagers."

The leader of the Band of Seven was surrounded by his aura of fury. And everyone could see it. So nobody dared approach Hikari or her 'husband'.

After that nasty tantrum Jakotsu threw, Bankosu and him had a little talk in the forest to themselves. Meanwhile, Hikari gave the baskets of food to the other members of the band. though the aura felt inceredibly uncomfortable, the men forgot immediatly about what happened as soon as they started eating.

When Bankotus came back, he still looked mad and Jakotsu looked guilty. The gay man grumled an appology to her and she replied, "I don't need an apology if you don't mean it. And start eating. You must be hungry."

She and Bankotsu were coming back to the village, when almost everyone was asleep. Those who were awake kept their distances and started hiding in their homes.

"This isn't going to make them like you anymore, you know."

"I don't give a damn whether they like me or not," he mumbled. "Let's get back to the temple."

And when they got into their room, Hikari started to take out the beds. Suddenly, she frowned. "That's odd..."

"What?"

"There's only **one** sheet we can use to make a bed... The other is to cover ourselves up, but..."

Bankotsu's bad mood vanished instantly. It seemed like the only person he actually liked in this village was the old woman who owned the place. He smirked. "Then I guess we'll have to share it."

She blushed. "U-umm... You know what? I'll go ask someone for an extra sheet."

He snook up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body. He whispered into her ear in a husky tone, "But you'll wake someone up. You don't want that do you?"

He grinned as her face went even redder. "T-then I-I'll sleep on the floor. T-that's fine with you, right?"

"Ah, ah, ah. It's going to be rather cold tonight. And besides, if anyone should sleep on the floor, it should be me. And I don't plan on sleeping on such a hard and cold thing when I could be in bed with my beautiful 'wife'."

Hikari hid her face from him. She couldn't imagine how she looked. She knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this so she gave in. "F-fine! We'll sleep in the same bed. BUT," she added as she faced him. "No touching."

Bankotsu seemed disappointed, and asked, "No touching _where_?"

"Anywhere. Not my chest, not my face, and not under the waist!"

"Why? This is the perfect time to-"

"Perfect time to what? What if I fall pregnant?" she interrupted. "And at a time like this! We're going to need to fight the demons, and what will I be able to do? Stand in the middle of nowhere and wait for my death because I won't be able to fight!"

He sighed. When she put it that way, she did have a point. "Can I at least have the face?"

She looked like she was going to decline, but she knew that resisting was going to be hard for him and that he wouldn't even last long so she mumbled, "Alright. But only the face."

He smiled. As long as he had that, he was going to live.

She escaped from his arms. Her red face was still visible. "I'm going to set these up," she said, trying hard not to sound too embarassed. She took the sheets out of the closet and already spread one of them on the floor.

She looked at Bankotsu who was staring at her doing the work. "Well? Don't just stand there, take out the other one and help me out! If you're planning on becoming my 'husband', then at least act like one!"

He chuckled as the word 'husband' finally came out of her mouth. He took the last cover from the closet and had it over the first in a few seconds. As soon as that was done, he let himself fall onto the soft sheets and sighed.

"It's been a while sine I've felt something this soft."

"A while? More like, what, 17 years ago?"

"Hey, I've been dead for fifteen years, but it feels like three years to me."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "You're such an old man, and yet you feel young. That's nice to know."

"Hey, I've been born a very long time ago, but I'm not old. I'm still young in mind, body and soul, and the only one you should consider old is Mukotsu. Because no matter how long he's been dead, he's still be the oldest guy I've ever seen."

"So you're young in mind, body, and soul, but sometimes, you have to consider age too. So not only am I dating a zombie, but also dating an old, wrinkly smelly zombie."

He grinned and shook his finger as if to say she was making an obvious mistake. "You're dating not an old wrinkly zombie, but a HOT zombie. That changes everything."

"Hmph. You've got a point there," she said, and Bankotsi smirked. And she wrinkled her nose. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you stink like you've come back from Hell. Which is exactly the case here."

"What do you mean?" he took a good sniff at himself, and realised that he did smell a LITTLE odd. "My odor is perfectly fine."

She raised a brow. "How many times have you taken a bath since you came back from the dead?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then thought back. "Does being pushed into the water and coming back out to kill Jakotsu count as a bath?"

She groaned in desperation and facepalmed. "I knew it."

"Alright, so what if I smell bad? It's not like it's going to do much around me."

She stared at him with a 'Are you serious?' look on her face.

"What?"

"There was another certain reason the villagers kept away from you, you know. Other than Banryuu and the fact that you were giving everyone death glares."

He snorted. "Like I said, I don't care about them. Besides, it's not like we're going to stay here much longer."

"No, you shouldn't care about them much, but _I_ do," she said as she emphasized on the 'I'.

She continued, "Plus, you aren't the only one who stinks. If I spend another week with six men stinking like a dead demons, and if I can't get all of you in the water, I'll make the water come to you."

He froze. No, he wasn't afraid of the water. He was afraid of how Hikari was going to make it rain down on them. And how much water she was going to bring. He could imagine him and his brothers talking innocently **(A/N: *cough* mercenaries is not equal to innocent *cough*)**, until a sudden burst of water rained down on them, washing them away from everything and...

He shivered.

"That means," she continued.

_"Oh great. There's more?"_

"You're going to need to take a bath as soon as I find a river. Or a hot spring. Yeah, that would be better. For me and for you," she said as she smiled.

"If you want to take a bath, then why not do it now?" he asked. Then, naughty thoughts came into his mind.

"Are you kidding me?" She pointed to the window. "It's dark out and everyone's asleep."

Bankotsu shrugged. "So? You've already bathed in the dark," he said as he smirked.

Hikari's face went red and she looked away in embarassment and fury. She didn't seem to want to say anything, until she finally spoke. "You still haven't forgotten about that night?"

He grinned. "How can I?" And he said with a chuckle. "It was one of the most beautiful days of my life."

**_FLASHBACK_**

"Damn trees," Bankotsu mumbled as he pushed away from branches in his face. He was lucky that the moon was bright enough to at least let him see where he was walking.

But sight wasn't the problem right now. The problem right now was the trees in his way.

If he had Banryuu with him, he would have sliced every single branch in this forest.

Apparently, his companion was still in that damned castle. And there wasn't a single sign of Naraku's insects ever since the day he was resurrected, which was about three days ago.

He thought back to that day. The day he met that woman. Hi... what was her name again? He couldn't remember.

_"Ah well," _he thought as he shooed a bush off of his arm. _"It's not like I'm going to see her again. And even if I do, I'm going to have to kill her for knowing about my resurrection."_

But that woman seemed strange. Not in the physical way, though. She looked absolutely beautiful in that moonlight. Okay, so Bankotsu couldn't see much of her face in the darkness, but her voice was so soothing, he wouldn't be surprised if it was she was a true beauty.

Now for the strange part.

He wasn't stupid. She held demonic blades.

He remembered his own wish upon his halberd, that it would become demonic if it sliced the heads of 2000 beings. He wondered if she did the same thing as him.

But then again, she might have just gotten them from someone. But if she did, how was she able to wield them?

She didn't seem that strong. So she knew a thing or two about healing. But he was sure she wasn't a priestess, after all, she didn't have a bow. A regular healer? But healers didn't wield any weapons...

He groaned. _"Why do I even care? First things first, I have to find shelter for the night!"_

That's when he heard the sound of a waterfall. _"Ah, water. This might be a good place. I might need to drink some water in the morning."_

He got closer and cloer to the sound, until the waterfall was finally visible. But then, he only saw the falls. When he looked into the small lake, that's when he saw her.

It was the woman from two days ago. The same one who healed him. He knew by her long dark hair and her curves. But that was it. And thank the good Buddah she couldn't see him. But if he just saw her face, he would be able to tell who it was.

Why couldn't he tell it was her?

Well, first, it was dark out.

Second...

She was bathing.

Okay, and third, her clothes were lying a few meters away from him.

_"Get out of here," _one part of him said. _"God knows the fury of women when it comes to peeping toms. Get out of here alive, and pretend that nothing ever happened."_

But his other part said, _"Come on, we can stay here for a while... This is like a once in a lifetime chance! Who knows when you'll be able to see a hot girl like this bathing right in front of you!"_

Alright... that was his lust talking.

Bankotsu stared as she finally turned her head to one side. She was smiling. And damn, she looked gorgeous. The reflection of the moon on the water shone on her face.

He stared even harder as she started to move her body to the side. Turning it towards him. The movement was so slow it seemed that it moved a centimeter every minute.

He could see her chest rising up and down. As if she were sleeping. She was rinsing her hair in the water and she sighed.

God, that sigh sounded so sexy.

And he couldn't help it. He moaned. Luckily, she didn't seem to hear over the roar of the waterfall.

After what seemed like an eternity, he could finally see all of her chest. His eyes ran over her body like a predator's staring at its prey. They were big. That all he was able to think about.

And when he looked a little lower...

He noticed that she stopped moving.

He looked at her face, and she was staring right back.

He looked at where he was at. He was a meter away from the trees. Not hidden. Completly exposed.

Bankotsu noticed that there wasn't much expression on her face. So maybe, just maybe, they could...? Maybe? Just tonight?

He sounded completly calm, in fact, a little cocky when he said, "Well, hi. Nice to see you again."

Then, he saw a wave of emotions on her face. Embarassment, fury, shame, and others.

And before he knew it, he heard a loud scream, the kind women would normally scream out, a loud **'PERVERT!'**, and a huge wave washed over him, and he lost conciousness.

When he woke up, sunlight was shininng on his face. He could tell he was still near the waterfall. That roaring woke him up. He groaned as he felt his neck ache as well as his head. "What... happened?"

"Finally woke up, huh?"

Bankotsu stood up and saw the girl who healed him the other day. She was looking away, clearly having no intention to talk to him. But even though she was hiding her face, he knew he was blushing.

And then, everything hit him.

So she was the one who knocked him out... But how did she do that? Alright, that didn't matter right now, the real question was why she was still here! Usually, a woman would run off screaming if she was seen... Especially if that man was the leader of a band of mercenaries.

"Why are you still here? I thought you would have ran off."

She huffed. "I'm not a fragile woman. I can take care of myself. Even though you're the leader of the Band Of Seven, I'm not afraid of you."

He raised a brow. He was still impressed by how much she knew about him. "Oh? Was that a challenge?"

She replied calmly, "Even if we fight right here and now, it wouldn't be much of a challenge. You don't have your sword yet, in case you haven't noticed."

Bankotsu felt his anger rising up to his face. How dare she...

She started walking away. "I've already done what I needed to do here. You're lucky your head and neck only ache. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to even lift it up."

So she healed him. Even when he looked at her bathing. Huh. She sure was compassionate. But why, just WHY, would anyone help a killer? Twice, even! This woman didn't even make sense!

Bankotsu watched her walking away, until his eyes landed on her bottom. He smirked at what happened last night. "You know, you had a pretty nice ass back there. And you still do with clothes on."

He saw her face get red from the same emotions of last night. She stopped walking, and her fists were clenched. He wouldn't be surprised if she slapped him anytime now...

She swung her head at him, finally revealing her face in broad daylight. And wow, she looked great, even when she was flustered. He noticed for the first time that she had the same blue eyes as his. "Nothing happened last night, you hear me!"

He chuckled. "Sure, sure. But just to let you know, I think your body's going to haunt my dreams for a very long time."

Yet again, she was speachless, and in the end, she ran off.

Bankotsu spotted something blue on the floor. It was a small bag with golden dragons on it. _"It must belong to her." _

He picked it up. Should he look at what was inside it? Nah. After all, it could have been some stupid herbs.

He looked at the sun. And then, at the waterfall. He thought gratefully, _"Thank you, God, for the wonderful thing you gave me last night!_

**_END FLASHBACK_**

Hikari shook her head and said, "Never mind. I'm going to change. AND UNTIL THEN..."

She shot him a death glare and Bankotsu looked back innocently. "I DON'T want you to peek!"

"Now, now, Hikari, why would I peek at your beautiful body?"

"Because you've already gotten a peek at it once, and ever since, you couldn't get it out of your head."

He laughed and she rolled her eyes.

When she came back, instead of the blue clothes she always used to wear, she was wearing a white kimono. It was so white that it was almost see-through. Bankotsu thanked yet again the old woman for letting this nightmare turn into a dream.

Hikari looked uncomfortable. She kept on turning around to see which part was visible. "... I wonder... if that lady... has anything else... for me to wear..."

"Oh, that one's just fine," Bankotsi reassured. She was NOT going to change into something else. That one was PERFECT. Well, for him, at least.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," he smiled. And he moved over to one side of the bed ot let her lie down. "Come on. It's already late."

Hikari didn't move, unsure if she should lie there with him. But then, she could feel the wind going almost through her clothes, and she changed her mind. _"It's only for one night... That's it... After this, we're going back to sleeping under the starry sky, right?"_

Her body was under the sheets, but her head was out. She tried to keep as much distance fom him as possible. "Well... umm... good night..."

And she shivered because it was still cold.

Then, she felt Bankotsu's arms wrap around her body. "Wha-what are you doing?"

She could feel his hot breath on her neck as he spoke. "You're cold, aren't you? I can't have that happening to my dear wife, now can I?"

Hikari looked like she was about to object, but she didn't. It really did feel much warmer in his arms... She could hear his _heart_ beating against hers. And his heat was overwelming.

She felt so warm...

Bankotsu felt her relax and he smiled.

And he feel asleep too.

* * *

**YES! Finally, I'm finished! :D**

**And I'm guessing that this story's going to go on for like 30 more chapters... Yeah, I know, it's going to be long, but please, bear with me here. **

**Well, until this story ends, plz continue to read it! Or if you lost interest, then... don't worry, I won't get mad... Or will I...? **

**Just kidding :P**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	17. Scary Beauty

**Disclaimer: Yet again, I do not own Inuyasha.**

**Thank you for your reveiws! It helps me keep my spirit up when I write :)**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 16**

_**The next morning...**_

"Thank you very much for letting us stay here," Hikari said as she bowed to the old lady.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep those clothes?" The lady asked. "You never know when you may need to use them..."

Hikari interrupted her quickly, "No, no. I think I'll be fine without them."

The woman sighed, but said to Bankotsu, "Then why don't you keep them for her? I'm sure you can take care of these," she handed him the clothes Hikari wore last night.

"Don't mind if I do."

"Please, journey safely, my Lady, Sir," Masa bowed to the L. Healer.

Hikari smiled. "Thank you again."

When she and Bankotsu were finally out of the village, Bankotsu stretched his arms out and yawned. "Finally! Some fresh air!"

She rolled her eyes. "And I'm betting it smells like freedom."

"Yes, it does." He started running ahead, and Hikari blinked. _"What is he doing?"_

Then, he yelled behind his shoulder, "I'll race ya to the others!"

She blinked again. And this time, she smiled maliciously. _"If it's a race he wants, it's a race he'll get."_

On the other side of the forest, the men of the Shichinintai were waiting patiently for their leader's arrival.

"When is Big Brother coming back?" Jakotsu demanded Renkotsu. "It's been a day already an he still isn't here. You don't think that something happened, do you? What if-"

Okay, so they weren't waiting patiently.

"Jakotsu, be quiet," Renkotsu growled. "He's going to arrive soon, and no, I don't think anything happened to him AND Hikari. And if anything did, Bankotsu wouldn't have any problems on handling it himself."`

And turning to the trees, he added, "You have to be patient. Besides, I'm betting they're on their way here right now. Knowing Big Brother, he'd want to get out of that damn village as soon as possible. Also, Suikotsu and Mukotsu would tell us if they were getting here."

Suikotsu and Mukotsu were out hunting for breakfeast. And they decided to hunt close to the village to see if Hikari and Bankotsu were going to arrive. Of course, they were being careful not to get spotted.

"Why did you have to come along to hunt?" the doctor asked the old man. "If you poison the food, you'll poison us too!"

"I won't do such a thing," Mukotsu weezed as he mixed up the poison he was preparing. "I'm only going to suffocate the prey. The poison will only go to their throat, not their entire body."

Suikotsu snorted. "Whatever. And hurry up with that gas, we have to start searching for food before Big Brother and Hikari arrive."

"I'm almost done."

The doctor folded his arms across his chest and tapped the ground with his foot as a sign of impatience. He sifted his glance from one place to another, and froze when he heard the ground trembling from a distance.

It sounded like the trampling of feet. It was still far away, but it was getting closer.

Suikotsu looked at his old brother and noticed that even he stopped mixing his medicines. "Hear that?" Mukotsu asked. "It sounds like people are coming quickly."

He nodded and gave him a sign to keep quiet.

_"What the hell? Did the villagers see us from that far? Either way, if they have weapons with them, we'd better hide and make an ambush. And even if they don't, we'd have to hide."_

Suikotsu started backing away slowly and he whispered to Mukotsu, "Let's get out of here before they notice us. Come on!"

He broke into a speed walk and looked over his shoulder to see if Mukotsu was following. The old guy was still gathering his things, but it didn't take long for him to finish.

Suikotu hissed, "Hurry up! Those tiny legs of yours should still work today!"

Mukotsu glared at him and started running, which was almost like a jog for a regular man. Suikotsu groaned in annoyance. _"At this rate, I'm going to have to pick him up and carry him back to camp."_

The ground was trembling under his feet, and his eyes widened slightly. They were getting closer, whoever 'they' were.

He looked back at Mukotsu who was already starting to pant from running at his maximum for a few seconds. _"Damn it! Come on, he's got to have more energy than that!"_

Behind them, the bushes were shaking, and there was only one thing left to do.

Suikotsu growled, grabbed Mukotsu, ignoring the poison that fell out, and broke into a dash.

And he cursed at himself when he heard the footsteps still getting closer and closer. _"Shit! Now what do I do?"_

There was no way he was going to get killed by someone from a village. If this guy was fast enough to catch up to him, then he must be as strong as him too. No. He was not going to die.

And he came to a halt when he heard a voice behind him. "Huh? Suikotsu? What are you doing here?"

He turned around and saw Hikari looking at him with an odd expression on her face. And that expression turned into a 'what the hell?' when she saw Mukotsu under his left arm.

"Okay... I'm not going to ask," she said as she shook her head. "But what are you two doing here? You aren't supposed to be so close to the village."

Suikotsu blinked. He felt incredibly stupid. And all he wanted to do was punch himself in the stomac.

Hikari didn't wait for an answer, because she looked behind her and said quickly, "Never mind, tell me later when we get back to camp, alright? I gotta go!"

And with that, she rushed off even faster than Suikotsu has before. No wonder he couldn't run away from her.

He and Mukotsu stared at her leave, frozen on the spot.

"... What just happened?" the old man asked more to himself than his brother.

And before Suikotsu could answer that, a huge gust of wind made him loose his balance and fall on his behind. He growled and was about to yell at the damn thing.

But then he noticed that the 'thing' that made him fall was a pissed off Bankotsu.

And yelling at a pissed off Bankotsu was never a good idea.

"Looks they're having a race," Mukotsu commented.

Suikotsu blinked a few times. And he shook his head to clear out his mind. Nothing happened, nothing happened... And his mind drifted off to what he and Mukotsu were doing out there in the first place.

"Damn it!" he roared as he jumped up. Mukotsu stumbled down and looked at the doctor in shock. "We're supposed to get back to camp with food!"

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Kaede! Kagome needs your help!"

"I am on my way, Shippou."

"Hold still!" Kagome said through her teeth and she tried to pin the dog demon down.

"You are NOT putting that thing on me, ya hear? It stings like hell!" Inuysha yelled as he continued moving his leg out of Kagome's reach.

His leg was starting to recover from the poison steadily. However, the wound still needed to be treated every day, and every day, Kagome or Kaede needed to put that 'damn medicine' on the injury.

And every day, Inuyasha would whine loud enough for everyone outside the village to hear.

"It may sting, but just endure it for two more days!"

"I don't need this stupid medicine! I'm a half demon, damn it, I can heal faster and better than you!"

"That's what you said yesterday!"

"That's because it's true!"

"Can't you just shut up and deal with this?"

"What? I dare you to say that again!"

"You'll heal even faster with this medicine! So just shut your mouth and bear it!"

"It's not just the feeling of the damn thing, it's the smell too! I refuse to have that on me!"

"SIT!"

"Gah!"

"My, my," Kaede said as she entered the small hut. "It seems that ye didn't need my help for this after all. However, ye souldn't have 'sat' him, my child."

Kagome sighed. "I know, I know. But sometimes, I can't help it, you know?"

"I understand."

"Now then," the miko said as she grabbed Inuyasha's injured leg. She said to Kaede, "I may still need you help. Can you make sure that he doesn't move?"

"Of course, my dear," the old lady said as she installed herself next to her.

Just when Kagome spread the medicine on the leg, Kaede warned, "Make sure ye don't press too hard on the wound. We don't want it to open, and we certainly don't want Inuyasha to wake up the demons in the forest."

Kagome smiled. "Right."

Outside, Miroku and Sango waited patiently for their friend to come back out with some news. Kohaku was watching Shippou and Kirara who were playing with some village children.

"Do you think we're really going to have to wait for two more days before heading out?" Sango asked as she watched little Shippou play tag with his new friends.

Miroku sighed. "I don't know. If we're lucky, Inuyasha may heal faster. But if things are going as planned, it may really take two, or even a few more days before we can move again."

Sango sighed too. "I know that the Resurrector will take a some time to recover his powers... But what if he moves faster than us? We have to be one step ahead of him."

"And we have to go search for Koga and Sesshomaru as well," the monk added. "The least we can do right now is think ahead of time and wait..."

He moved his hand towards Sango's bottom, but was whacked on the head when his cursed hand was an inch away from touching her. "Don't even think about it," Sango growled.

"Why, think about what, my dear Sango?"

"You may have gotten rid of the wind tunnel, but that hand is still cursed from your lecherous thoughts."

He placed his hand on his chest as if insulted. "Why I never, Sango! I don't know what you're talking about!"

Kohaku ran up to them and asked, "Is Kagome finished yet?"

Before either of them could answer, Inuyasha's voice yelled from the hut, "OUCH! Stop, DAMN IT! Let go of me you hag!"

Miroku smiled. "You have your answer right there, Kohaku."

"Yeah, but I'm whishing that it would have been answered a different way."

Sango questionned her brother, "Why did you ask, Kohaku?"

The young emon slayer shrugged. "This kid wanted to see Kagome, but I don't know why. She didn't seem hurt or anything, but since she asked so kindly, I came here to get her."

"Well, you should go tell her that she's busy right now," Miroku spoke.

He nodded. "I'll go do that."

As they watched him leave, Sango felt a deep sorrow growing inside her. _"What if the Resurrector really is Naraku? What will happen to Kohaku? Is he going to be under his control again? And will I ever get him back?"_

Miroku noticed that she was looking uncomfortable, and he reassured her, "Don't worry too much. Everything will be fine."

And this time, he didn't try to grope her.

"Not everything," she said as she looked down. "After every battle, people can die. And during the time Naraku was alive, how many people have we lost? Look at Inuyasha! Because of that poison, his leg stayed paralysed for over a day! What if the Resurrector can prepare more poisons like that? Most of us will die! Who knows, maybe Hikari is already dead because-"

Miroku grabbed her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Sango. You're thinking too far ahead," he said in a soothing voice. "What we should think about now is not the bad things that will happen, but the good things and the things that will keep us alive.

"Think about the postitive, not the negative, and what you wish for will happen."

Sango sighed and relaxed. Somehow, he always found a way to keep people calm. She smiled. "Thanks. I needed that."

"No need to mention it." He smiled too.

Finally, Kagome appeared from inside the hut and sighed. "It's over. Finally."

"How is it now?" He and Sango asked at the same time.

"The wound's getting better, and we're moving our leaving date by a day."

Their eyes narrowed. "... One day earlier, or one day later?" Miroku questionned.

Kagome grinned. "We're going to leave one day earlier."

Sango smiled. "That's a relief. We'll be able to search for Koga and Sesshomaru a little faster now."

Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared above their heads. It couldn't have been a cloud because they were the only ones in that shadow. And when all three of them looked up... They saw Sesshomaru and Ah-Un flying.

The three stared in shock at the dog demon's sudden appearance.

"Speak of the devil..." Kagome mumbled.

Sesshomaru and Ah-Un landed not far away from them, and from Ah-Un's back jumped down a little girl. And from Sesshomaru's white fur plopped down a small green demon.

"Hello!" Rin said happily.

"Rin! What are you doing here?" Kagome asked the little girl.

Rin froze and sudddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Umm... well..."

Kagome shook her head. "Never mind. I'm going to have to ask Sesshomaru something anyways."

Miroku mumbled to Sango's ear, "Who would have ever guessed that Sesshomaru would come to us before we got to him?"

She whispered back, "Who cares? He's here and we can ask him if he can help us or not!"

Inuyasha bursted out of the hut with his nose in the air. Then he saw his older brother and yelled out, "What the HELL are you doing here?"

Sesshomaru ignored what he said and spoke in his usual cool tone. "I expected you to smell us before we arrive, Inuyasha. Has something happened to your sense of smell? Or is it that you have grown weaker?"

Inuyasha growled and prepared himself to attack. Kagome said calmly, "Inuyasha, he's probably not here to fight. Calm down."

He didn't seem to have heard what she said, but then he laid his ears on his head and growled one last time. "Fine. Hurry up and tell us why you're here! The sooner you leave, the better."

Sango and Miroku stared at him oddly and he snapped at them, "What?"

Sesshomaru looked like he was about to speak, and Rin tensed. _"Did Lord Sesshomaru already make his decision? Am I going to stay in this village, or stay with him and Master Jaken?"_

The mighty dog demon only spoke to Miroku and Sango. "I recall you saying that you were going to search for me. Why is that?"

The demon slayer and monk froze and Inuyasha glared at them. "... You talked about it out loud?"

Sesshomaru demanded, "I know I heard right, so answer me. Why did you want to look for me?"

Nobody spoke for a moment, and Rin wondered why they really wanted to search for her Lord. _"Searching for Lord Sesshomaru would be one of the worst things they can think of. But if they were looking for him, then something urgent must be happening."_

Of course, anything that involved Sesshomaru, the great Inutaicho's son, was important.

The Inutachi exchanged a few uncertain glances, wondering who should speak first. Then, Kohaku showed up calling for his friends. "Sister! Something really odd happened! I can't-"

He stopped when he saw Sesshomaru and his little group. He was about to say something really important to his older sister, but to Hell with that. Why was Inuyasha's brother here?

As soon as she saw Kohaku, Rin had a happy smile on her face. "Kohaku!" She ran up to him and smiled even more. "It's been so long since we've last met! How have you been?"

Kohaku blinked and noticed how much the little girl grew. She must have grown one or two inches taller. But even if she did grow, she was still wearing that orange kimono of hers. And it looked tighter.

Couldn't Sesshomaru have found a village to get her some new clothes?

He said, a little confused with what's happening, "I... I'm fine... How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been well too! But..." she glanced at Sesshomaru from the corner of her eye. "I think Lord Sesshomaru is having a lot of problems right now."

Kohaku felt slightly surprised. "Oh? Why?"

Her happy face was replaced with a worried expression. "The demons are getting stronger. And what's worse is that they travel in groups. And we can't even travel at night because they're even stronger by then, right?"

_"So we were right," _Kohaku thought. _"Sesshomaru is having problems of his own with the demons."_

"Rin," Sesshomaru's smooth voice sounded loud and clear.

"Oh! Yes, my Lord!"

She bounded off to Sesshomaru's side, and Kohaku walked to Sango. He whispered into his sister's ear, "What's happening?"

Sango only shook her head, a sign that said 'You'll know soon enough'.

"Are you going to tell me anything or not?" Sesshomaru asked again, this time with a hint of impatience in his tone.

Inuyasha growled, and Kagome sighed. If nobody was going to say anything for three more seconds, she was going to say it. She has had enough of this silence, and she certainly didn't want a battle between brothers right now.

One, two, three.

Kagome finally spoke. "If we tell you, then you have to swear to not interupt until I finish." Her friends looked at her, surprise on their faces. What she said was almost like an order... Wasn't it?

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, but then nodded cooly. "Very well."

The miko tried not to make her voice sound too shaky. "You know how the demons these days are getting stronger." Okay, that was a good start. "And we might have the reason. Someone has been giving the demons more and more strength. That same person has been resurrecting our old enemies, and we call him the Resurrector. And we think that the Resurrector is Naraku."

The dog demon's eyes widened a little, but he kept a straight face, and gave her a sign to go on.

"Naraku's done this before. he fakes his death and came back to stab us in our backs. Also, even though the Shikon Jewel is now gone, he may have found another way to make demons stronger. And this isn't the first time he brought people from the dead.

"Like I said before, this Resurrector guy has been bringing our old enemies back. And so far, he's brought our two first enemies and..."

She trailed off. She looked at her friends, wondering if she should really say the other group. After all Sesshomaru knew them too. In fact, he even killed two of them.

The answer she got was not from any of her friends, but from Sesshomaru who said, "And who?"

The priestess took a deep breath and said it. "The Band Of Seven is back too."

Rin and Jaken gasped, and Sesshomaru's eyes widened completly this time. "The Band Of Seven?" he asked as if he had bad hearing.

"They were the mercenaries who were resurrected by Naraku long ago!" Jaken exclaimed in shock. "We got rid of all of them, didn't we?"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru hushed. "Be quiet."

"Oh, umm... yes, my Lord!"

Kagome continued, "We defeated our two old enemies, but with a few problems. For one, they've both got a lot more stronger. Also, they had new claws, new teeth, and even new poison. Inuyasha-"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cut her off. "You don't need to say anything."

Sesshomaru said coldly, "Let the woman finish. And if you want me to listen to you, tell me everything."

She took a deep breath and said, "We were attacked, and Inuyasha's leg got poisoned. Though it's better now, it took around five days for it to heal. And it took us a while to make an antidote."

She could tell that he was itching to tell her to pass on to the Shichinintai's resurrection. But he kept his mouth shut. Because unlike his younger and much more impatient brother, he stayed calm and kept his word.

"The Band Of Seven were brought back, and when we fought them in battle, we could barely lay a finger on any of them. They never let us a chance to fight back, and all we could really do was dodge their attacks."

Sesshomaru blinked and said, "I see. So Naraku may be still alive. But what does that have to do with you searching for me?"

Kagome took a deep breath. Now was the time to get straight to the point. "We both have troubles with the demons, we both hold a grudge against Naraku, and some of our old enemies are alike.

"So what we were thinking about was... If you'd like us to work together for this."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"YES! FINALLY!" Hikari screamed out all of a sudden and made all the men jump. And they were all on Ginkotsu, so when they landed back down, Ginkotsu whimpered an 'ouch!'.

"What the hell?" Jakotsu yelled at her.

Her eyes were shining with excitement. "We're in luck."

"What is there already?" Bankotsu growled as he tried to hear again. Hikari was sitting right next to him, and his ears were still ringing and ringing. Her scream was that loud.

"There's a hot spring!"

"I thought you could only sense the aura of living things," Renkotsu said as he narrowed his eyes.

She glanced back at him. "People have been in the hot spring once not long ago, and their auras still remain on that spot. They felt rather relaxed, and isn't that how you always feel after a nice bath?"

And before Renkotsu could add anything else smart, she continued, "And trees are living things too. When the trees are all gathered around in a circle, most of the time, there will be a big pond, or in this case, a spring."

"So where is it?" Bankotsu asked, though he wasn't very eager to know.

"Not too far now," she said, her voice trembling with excitement. "A few more minutes and we should be there."

"Who said we're going to stop there for relaxation?" Jakotsu hissed at her. "Last time I checked, you didn't make the decisions here." He turned to Bankotsu, and everyone waited for his answer.

Their leader grinned. "Well, Hikari can rest there for a while, I suppose."

"Yes!" The healer whispered to herself. And she whispered to Bankotsu, "By the way, there are two hot springs."

He raised a brow. "And? What of it?"

"You're not serious are you?"

"What?"

She glared at him. "Don't you remember the conversation we had yesterday? If none of you men take a bath today, I will make the water come to you. And if that doesn't work, I'll make sure that you never see your precious Banryuu shining again."

He stiffened and gulped. That wasn't going to be good. He nodded his head quickly, and Hikari smiled sweetly.

When she looked away from him, he breathed a sigh of relief. She really was the only one who could make threats big enough to scare him.

Ginkotsu stopped when Hikari announced their arrival at the spot. She jumped off the metal machine, walked into the forest with with Bankotsu by her side (because she always needed a guide, of course), and came back out with a smile on her face.

"Yup! It's there!" she announced. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a bath!"

She turned her back to them and was about to leave, but Bankotsu stopped her. "Whoa. I have to send in someone to look after you."

Hikari glared at him. "Then send Jakotsu. He's the only one who isn't interested in a girl's body!"

"Damn right!" Jakotsu yelled.

"And if my guard is you or Mukotsu," she continued slowly, "I'll knock you out before you even get the chance to peek."

Bankotsu and Mukotsu sighed. Slightly because of defeat, but mostly because of disappointement. "Fine. Renkotsu!" he called his second in command.

Renkotsu blinked. "You're kidding right? Suikotsu is much better for this task."

"I have things I need to discuss about with him. You guard Hikari."

He look he got from his leader clearly said 'Don't argue or I'll kick your ass'. Or maybe it meant 'Peek at my woman and I'll make sure I kill you'. Either way, he had to obey.

"Yes, Big Brother."

He and Hikari walked to the hot springs without exchanging a single word.

"Here we are!"

Renkotsu tossed the branches out of his face and saw the steamy spring. She walked to the edge of the spring and tested out the water with her hand. "Ah... Nice and warm..."

She looked at Renkotsu as if she expected him to do something. "Well? What are you waiting for to turn around? I can't strip while you're looking."

His face slightly became red. His voice didn't sound cool anymore. "T-then where do you want me to stay at?"

"Look behind you. There are tons of leaves everywhere. You can stay there and guard me at the same time," she said as if it were really obvious. Which it was.

Renkotsu turned around without another word and hid in the trees. And before he disappeared, he heard her say, "Oh, yeah, and Renkotsu... I think you already know this, but..."

He flinched as he heard the next words. They sounded so calm, and yet they were so menacing. Killing... "If you peek, I'll kill you before Bankotsu gets the chance to do anything."

He could imagine her flaming aura rising from her body, and the death glares she was giving him.

"U-unders-stood!"

He quickly hid behind the leaves and turned his back to the spring. He heard her undress and her the water splash as she sliped inside. For him, it was easy not to give into temptation. He kept his cool.

Hikari sighed in happiness. _"Finally. A place to realx my thoughts... A place without men or any loud things..." _

_"But still a place without women to talk to," _she thought in disappointement.

She thought about her friends she could always talk to, Sango and Kagome. _"I wonder how they're doing... They must have found some new clues about our enemy by now. I just hope nothing bad's happened to them."_

Then she thought about the Band Of Seven. _"Do they really not know who brought them back? Or are they hiding it? No... I would have known by looking into their thoughts. But still... no clues at all? Damn, this resurrecting guy is good."_

Without even realising it, she was sensing people's aura's nearby. She felt the closest aura, Renkotsu's, and noticed that he felt completly calm. But he did feel a little annoyed since he was the one who had to look after her. The bald man was always so mysterious. Okay, so he had a sense of humour, and he also had loyalty... But when it came to greed for power, life, or anything - he would leave everything behind. _"Where did he get that character from?"_

That's when she thought about his past.

He was the smartest of the Shichinintai, not to mention the one with the best strategies. He knew how to write, and knew a lot about metal, so he must have had very good education. And she said all of a sudden out loud, "You were a monk long ago, weren't you?"

She felt Renkotsu's aura sharpen, a sign of huge shock. He tried to do as if he didn't hear her, but he couldn't ignore it. He didn't say anything until she repeated herself, "I'm right, aren't I? You can tell me, nobody can hear us."

He growled. "You looked into my memories, didn't you?"

"No," she replied calmly. "The clues were kind of obvious, actually. First, you know how to write and how to read, unlike Bankotsu or Jakotsu. You must have developped your past in someplace with a lot of knowledge. And from what I know, monks are very wise," she said as she remembered Miroku's words of wisedom...

And the lies he made to flirt with women.

"Also," she continued, "there's the fact that you always keep your head bald. Honestly, I didn't think it would be much of a clue, but whatever, it counts, doesn't it?"

He growled again. "Apparently."

"And when I searched into Kagome's memories," she spoke, "The monk's outfit fit you rather well, if I do say so myself."

"However..." she said more slowly. "What I don't understand is why you abandonned such a life. Being a monk isn't bad, and people respect them very much."

She knew very well that he may not answer. After all, men were arrogant that way. But both she and Renkotsu knew that if he didn't say anything to her, her curiosity will only become stronger, and that would lead to a few problems.

So whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to tell her.

Hikari's aura sensing told her that Renkotsu was closing his eyes. She heard his thoughts as if he were saying right in front of her. _"I'm only going to show you what I remember of my past. That's it."_

Almost instantly, in her thoughts, she saw a man in black and white clothing standing in front her, smiling as the rays of the sun shone down on him. Then, all of a sudden, the scenery changed and she was inside a temple. A man with orange hair in his early twenties was standing in front of her, and he held out his hand as a greeting.

The scenery changed again, and she was looking at a... cannon. She was surrounded of bombs, cannon balls, and metal. She felt something spark up inside her... She recognised this feeling as amazement. Then, she saw a temple burning down. People were screaming in pain, and she heard people next to her praying to their god.

_"Please save us... Please spare their lives..."_

Normaly, people would be afraid of the flames... but all she felt was the same amazement from before. And of course, this amazement was what Renkotsu felt.

After that, the man she saw at the very begginig was in front of her again. Only this time, he looked furious. He was yelling his anger, and even though the words sounded blurry, she could perfectly distinguish what the man was saying.

_"What have you both done? This is not what you are supposed to be doing!"_

After that, she saw the man with orange hair again. This time, he was surrounded by a pool of his own blood, and the light in his eyes were starting to vanish. She heard a furious voice yelling out to the men surrounding her.

She recognized this voice as Renkotsu's.

All these men, whom she recognized as monks, seemed calm, and one in particuler, the black and white monk from earlier, only replied calmly at all the yelling, _"This is what your punishment is for not following the way of Buddah."_

"Renkotsu!"

The images vanished instantly when Hikari and Renkotsu heard Jakotsu's call. Her eyes burst open in shock, and she felt breathless. _"What... was... all that?"_

"Renkotsu!" The gay's man voice sounded again. "Bankotsu wants to see you!"

The second in command stood up slowly and replied, "I'm on my way."

Hikari heard the words in his head. _"If you want to know more, then tonight."_

She understood. And when she felt both of their auras leave, and guessed that Bankotsu trusted her enough to leave her alone.

She sighed. _"Great. Just what I needed. More questions in my head."_

**_With the Band Of Seven..._**

"Ah, there you are," Bankotsu greeted his best friend, and second in command as they appeared. The rest of the men sat in front of their leader.

"What's this about?" Renkotsu asked as he sat down with the rest of them.

Bankotsu closed his eyes, deep in thought. "I thought back to the day Hikari went after you and Suikotsu to help you hunt. Then, I realised that the food tasted a lot better than usual. In fact, you could even say that it was prepared by someone else."

Suikotsu had a drop of sweat rolling down his head. _"What, so the food we usually make doesn't taste good? And we have a 'unique' way of cooking it?"_

"And... what of it?" Renkotsu asked.

Their leader decided to get straight to the point, and pointed an accusing finger at Suikotsu and Renkotsu. "What happened that day? What did Hikari really do to you two? I never tasted food so well cooked from you, so what happened?"

Suikotsu and Renkotsu glanced at each other. Well, they weren't getting out of this one.

"She showed us how to give mercy to the animals we killed, and she also showed us how to make the meat look brown. A good color for well-cooked meat," Renkotsu said without any expression showing on his face.

Everyone stared at him weirdly.

"I'm only telling the truth."

Suikotsu rolled his eyes. "She showed a way to hunt animals and a way to cook the meat so our food can taste better."

"Ah, now that you put it that way, it makes more sense," Bankotsu said with a smile.

"She was giving the prey mercy," Renkotsu growled. "I don't see why she would do that to something that's going to die anyways."

"In case you haven't noticed, _we_ are those 'somethings' too," Bankotsu said as he frowned. She healed him the very first day they met, and even though it was tradition, she still obeyed her rules. And on the second day they met, she could have left him unconcious - but still alive - but she healed him.

Then, one thought came into mind. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "But don't expect mercy from her every time she kills a prey."

Renkotsu blinked. "You mean even though she's a kind-hearted L. Healer, she can still kill something like a maniac."

"In some cases, I wouldn't take 'maniac' literally... But in this case, maniac should be taken just like that," he smirked.

**_FLASHBACK_**

Bankotsu's head and neck still ached the day after the time he got shot with a huge wave of cold water.

_"Damn it..." _he growled. _"And not only does this hurt like shit, I'm starting to get hungry too." _He looked up at the sky and flinched at the brightness of the sun. _"There's tons of light, but it feels like I'm burning in the flammes of Hell."_

He should've stayed near that waterfall.

He cursed at a tree and punched it. The tree's bark cracked under his fist. Normally, he'd be really proud of his strength, but he was too pissed to even think straight. _"Where the hell are Naraku's insects? Or at least his servants?"_

Four days - **four** days - he's lived without a single sign of the one who resurrected him, and he felt as lost as a worm in a demon's nest.

And he felt so useless without his Banryuu. He could've killed so many pigs with a single swing. Yet here he was, almost starving to death. Weren't zombies NOT supposed to get hungry?

He didn't even know where he was going right now. All he was told to do was serve Naraku, but how the heck was he supposed to do that if he didn't know where the hell he was?

"Damn it! I hate thinking about things like these!" He yelled to the sky.

Then, he remembered the tiny bag he had with him. He took it out and obversed the small bag once again. He was impressed with how well the patterns were made. The patterns of golden dragons shone in both the sunlight and moonlight.

He threw it up and down just to hear what was in it. It made a jingling noise. _"Money?"_

If it was money, then he could use it to buy a few things in a village. It was simple - all he needed to do was hide the purple star on his forehead, fake a cute smile and voila, he wasn't the leader of a band of mercenaries anymore.

He opened the little bag, and what he saw inside was not money.

It was blue clay. But something about it made it feel odd. He pocked it gently. It was hard. Not as hard as stone, but soft enough to mold and hard enough for it to dry up quickly. Next to the blue clay was a piece of metal. And on that piece of metal was the imprint of a dragon.

_"Is this girl obsessed with dragons?" _Bankotsu thought as he snorted.

Well, anyways, it couldn't have had enough value to be sold for a good price. He shrugged and hid it back into his clothes. His mind drifted off to the one who owned this small bag.

He still couldn't remember the girl's name... _"But damn, was she beautiful." _

If she didn't look so flustered the first time he had a good look at her, he could have seen more of her beauty. More of her bright blue eyes, more of her sweet smile, and more of her soft voice...

He jumped when he heard the loudest scream of fury he's ever heard in his mercenary life. "GET **BACK** HERE YOU SON OF A... I SAID GET **BACK HERE** WITH THAT! IT'S **MINE**! DON'T YOU **DARE** RUN FROM ME, YOU COWARD!"

His eyes widened as he recognised the voice. _"That woman again...!"_

Without even thinking, he started running to the sound of the voice. And yes, it was still yelling. "**HEY**! ARE YOU EVEN **LISTENING** TO ME?"

Bankotsu blinked and blinked. What could have possibly made her so pissed? Was she always like this when she was angry? He's seen her when she was kind, when she was embarassed...

_"Now I'll see what she looks like in all her fury."_

He continued running. Then, all of a sudden a katana flew - that's right, _flew_ - right past the tip of his nose. The blade flew away just as fast as it came before his eyes could even widen and before he could even stutter a 'What the hell?'.

The next thing he knew, a tiger demon holding a boar and two rabbits in its jaw ran past him, its eyes wide like the moon with shock. And not far away from him, Bankotsu could hear the voice getting closer.

And as the voice got closer, he saw the woman's shape becoming clearer and clearer as well. Somehow, her face didn't seem too different from the last time he saw her.

She was red... But this time, red with rage, it seemed.

As she came closer he wondered what he should say. Or if he should say anything at all. He quickly made up his mind, smiled his most handsome smile, and waved at her. "Hey! It's me again!"

She didn't slow down to greet him.

In fact, she didn't even glance at him. She just ran right past him, as if he were an old tree. And she continued yelling, "GET **BACK** HERE YOU STUPID CAT!"

Bankotsu watched er leave for a moment, until he realised she ignored her. His eye twitched. How dare she... ignore... the leader... of the Shichinintai? Oh, she was not going to live after doing that. She may have healed him twice, but none of that mattered when it came to ignoring him.

He bolted off after her, still fuming about how she could just...

He thought about the many ways he could kill her. Even without Banryuu, he was pretty strong. Maybe he could strangle her, or beat her up to death... Or maybe he could break all the bones in her body...

He stopped thinking when he saw her in the middle of the clearing. He also noticed that she finally stopped moving. However, her chest was heaving from all the breath she lost.

The tiger demon from earlier was standing in front of her, its amber eyes glaring down at the woman. It had finally had enough with the running. And a fight was about to go on.

Bankotsu suddenly got the idea that the tiger was going to get her before he could. _"That's not going to happen. I won't let a demon get my prey. I'll jump in when that thing attacks, then, I'll come in and kill it. _

_"Then, when the girl thinks that I saved her, I'll come closer to her, and-"_

He stopped all the images in his mind, and his eyes widened in shock when the girl jumped on the tiger first. The blade that flew earlier came back to her and she slashed the demon's tail off.

Bankotsu facepalmed. _"How could I have forgotten about her katanas?"_

But right after her first attack, she placed both of her blades in their shethes on her back. Her eyes burned with the fires of Hell, and her whole body was flaming. Even her hair looked like fire in the wind.

Her yells echoed in the forest as she started yelling again, "That's my prey you're dealing with! Don't think that just because I'm a mortal, and a woman and that, you can get away with this! You demons are all the same, damn it!"

The young man in the bushes watched in awe, shock, and slight horror as the girl whom he thought was so gentle and shy beat down a demon three times her size.

It only took a few kicks and punches for her to break the demon's bones. Every time the tiger tried to bite her, she would dodge the attack and deliver a blow to its sides.

Bankotsu shivered. He sure was glad that he wasn't that demon. And sure was glad that he never messed with womans' bad side.

The dead boar and rabbits came out of the feline's jaw and landed on the ground. It continued fighting for its life against the strong opponent. But before long, its breathing became shallow, and its moves were getting slower.

And a single kick was enough to make it fall to the ground, its body limp and cold of death.

The leader of the Band Of Seven expected the girl to stop attacking the poor dead creature, but she didn't. She was stomping on the demon's body, still as furious as ever.

"This what you get from taking away my lunch! Now I have to go kill some other boar, damn it! Your slime dirtied it all!"

He wondered if he should tell her to stop doing something so useless. Then again, she could think that he was going to steal her prey too, and then go after him.

And this time, he knew that he wasn't going to get out of it alive if he went with that plan.

Yet again, without thinking, he came out of the bushes and called, "Hey!"

Almost immediatly, she whipped her head towards him, her eyes still blazing, and snapped, "WHAT?"

Bankotsu took a step back and kept his guard. _"Okay, so maybe this wasn't a good idea..."_

She seemed to have finally noticed who he was. Instantly, all her fury vanished, and face, red of anger, was now red of embarassement. Just like that morning.

He relaxed, and smiled his cocky smile. "I didn't know how dangerous a kind, beautiful woman could become if her lunch was stolen."

She blushed even more, and turned her head away from him. "Y... You didn't see anything! A-at all!"

He felt slightly disappointed when she turned around. "That's what you told me the other day. And yet, I still remember it clearly."

She was shaking with how embarassed she felt. _"He wasn't supposed to see that! Why does he keep showing up at the wrong moment? First what happened two night ago, and now this?"_

Her stomac made a growling noise, and she felt her face burn like fire.

Bankotsu chuckled and called, "You should probably start hunting again! Your food is all slimy!"

Then, he remembered the little bag he kept with him. He might as well give it back while he still could. He wasn't the nice guy type, but since the thing was useless... He took it out and spoke again, "Oh, yeah! You forgot this the other day!"

She turned around, and looked at what he was holding. Her eyes widened in shock and she jumped off of the demon. And in an instant she was in front of him.

She tried to grab the bag, Bankotsu always kept it out of her reach. Just to see what she looked like from close.

Her black hair smelled so sweet... _"Probably from the other night," _he thought as his naughty memories showed him all he saw two nights ago.

He couldn't help but stare at her face. Her cheeks were still pink from embarassement, and oh, how beautiful did her blue eyes look in the sunlight... He was wrong: she didn't have the same blue eyes as him. No - hers were much brighter... And shone much more than his.

Her lips kept on moving and moving. She was talking to him, yet he could barely hear anything. The only thing he wanted to see right now was how she looked when she smiled...

And for some odd reason, he wondered just how her lips would taste like...

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

Bankotsu blinked, and all of a sudden, he could hear again. "Huh? What?"

She sighed, and crossed her arms across her chest. "What do you want for it? Money? Food? Anything, just ask."

He stared in confusion, until he realised that he could get anything he want. And it was all thanks to this little blue bag. He smirked. "Alright. First, your name, and what you are."

She blinked. "That's it?"

"Of course not," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Then, I want you to hunt for me."

Now she was shocked. "What?"

"You hear me. So first your name, then, what you are, then, some food, and," he added, "a good place to sleep."

Her eyes widened and she threw her arms in the air. "That means you have to stay with me for the rest of the day!"

He grinned. "Exactly, my dear. You catch up pretty fast."

She looked like she was about to decline everything, but then, she looked at her precious bag in his hand again and sighed. "Fine. I'll do it all."

She decided to get the first part over with. "My name is Hikari and I'm a legendary healer. And I already told you all of this the day I first healed you," she mumbled.

"You can't blame me for having such a bad memory. But you can say that I'll remember from now on. I can't forget such a beautiful face," he said as he took her chin between in his two fingers.

She blushed again, and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me. And no flirting, please."

He smirked. "Alright, then what if I admire your body?"

She stiffened and didn't even bother answering. She turned around and yelled behind her shoulder, "Come on already! Do you want some food or not?"

_**END FLASHBACK**_

"Now do you see what I mean?" Bankotsu asked.

Everyone was left in shock.

"She continued to kick the demon even though it was already dead?" Mukotsu asked, just to make things clear.

"Yup. She told me later on that she had to unleash all her fury on something. And even after killing it, she still had a little anger left, so she continued stomping on it until she felt better."

His brothers shivered.

"Who would have guessed she could get so violent if we stole her lunch?" Suikotsu said.

"That explains a lot why she left to teach you two how to cook better," Jakotsu spoke.

All of a sudden, they heard a loud screech. All of their eyes widened as they regonised the scream of terror.

_"Hikari."_

"Hikari!" Bankotsu ran off to her direction, and the rest of his brothers quickly followed.

* * *

**Looks like I'm back with flashbacks and long chapters. **

**And thanks again for your reviews! I really appreciate it! ^^**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	18. A Bald Man's Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The OCs belong to me :)**

**Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I updated... It's the same old excuse; too much projects, homework, presentations... -.-**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 17**

Hikari closed her eyes when Renkotsu finally left her alone.

She still couldn't get those pictures out of her head. Renkotsu's thoughts still troubled her. All of it just happened so fast... The bald man as a young man at first, then, the fire, and finally... His friend half-dead in front of him...

She shook her head. _"Now is not the time to think about this. I'll see everything tonight."_

She relaxed her mind and wondered yet again what her friends were doing... _"It's already been a month... Did they encounter any other ennemies? If they did, I'm sure they found something. __I wonder how long it'll take before I meet them again."_

Inuyasha could well be a hundred miles away, and it may take two more months before she finds them. And when she did, what will happen? Will a fight break out? Or will they talk peacefully?

She told herself the same thing she said before. _"It'll come with time. It'll come with time. We'll see what happens when the time comes. Until then, I just have to stay here and do what I have to do..."_

She looked up at the sky. She smiled. _"Oh, what a beautiful day..."_

A few birds were singing, the grass swayed gently, and the wind blew a soft melody. The sun was still high in the sky, but it wouldn't have been long before it would start setting.

Before she knew it, she feel asleep to the song of the wind.

_**~Dream~**_

"You're supposed to stand straight, Hikari," a cool voice warned. "And never close your eyes in battle. Closing your eyes only serves you as a weakness. You never know when the enemy may strike you."

Little Hikari stood back up and held her two blades high. "Alright. Understood. I'm sorry, Brother."

Although his face was covered by the shadows, she could hear her older brother sigh. He held his own blades up, and his blue clothes moved in the wind. "You may have the blood to wield our swords, but you have to remember that you aren't a demon. Wielding these swords were hard for Father and me, and you have to work just as hard as him."

Hikari flinched as her Father was mentionned. Her expression fell, and her brother scolded her. "Now is not the time to think about our father's death." He mumbled to himself, "To think that he passed away of illness. Hah! And I thought he'd die in a battle."

And he spoke to the little girl again, "If you want to make him proud, train hard, and become the best you could be."

Her pulled her head back up, this time, confidence glowing in her eyes. "Yes!"

He grinned. "That's what I wanted to see."

Without waiting for him to get ready, Hikari attacked him with her water blade. Though her brother was surprised, he doged the attack smootly. She brought her fire katana to his side, but he jumped up and dodged it with ease.

A second later, Hikari went after him again. This time, she threw her water sword at him (and yet again, he avoided it). Her fire blade and his swords clashed, and the sound of metal rang in the trees.

Her brother stopped the water blade coming back from behind him, and he jumped up again. Hikari caught her katana and ran at him, but right before she could even reach him, she pointed her fire blade to the sky, her eyes filled with concentration. And finally, she called, "**DRAGON FLAME!"**

A wall of fire formed around her. She pierced the wall with her weapon, and there was a huge blast of fire heading towards her brother.

Her brother didn't move at all. He didn't even flinch when the blast of fire ended right at his nose. Hikari froze, but tried again, this time, she tried concentrating harder.

All that concentration left when she heard a rather female voice, "I see you're doing well, Hikari."

She looked up to her left and saw two other teenagers walking towards them. She smiled, and her opponent asked, though he wasn't even interested in the answer, "What are you two doing here?"

A rougher voice answered, "Just seeing how our little sis is doing. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Hikari," the light voice spoke again. This time, his red fire clothes were visible, but his face was still shadowed. "You will need more training with your fire abilities. How about we work on that-"

"Hey," the first brother interrupted. "I'm training her sword skills first. And then, she has to go see Michiko to learn more about herbs," he said with a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Very well, then... How about we work on that tomorow?"

"Right after I teach her how to avoid more attacks," the gruff voice said. His green clothes were visible, but his face was blurry as well. Speaking to Hikari, he added, "And while we're going to be at it, I'll teach you a little more about different cannons."

The brother in blue snorted. "Nobody wants to know anything about those things. It's going to be useless for her. Swords, however, will teach her how to fight AND how to defend herself."

"Is that a challenge, brother?" The teenager in green growled.

"Now, now," the red man spoke calmly. "Let's not start a ruckus here. The whole village would hear us, after all."

Hikari blinked in confusion as she thought about her schedule for the day. Then for the week. "Oh my gosh... I've got so many things to do! I can't even spend time with my friends..."

The three teenagers chuckled. The blue man said, "When you'll be older, you'll have a lot more to do. Just like your mother."

Hikari pouted. "In that case, I don't want to grow up. Mother has me to take care of... So I'm not going to have a man or have any children. At all. I'll devote my life to the legendary healers, and I'll be known as one of the best in all of history!"

Her brothers chuckled once again, and she frowned. "What? You think I can't do it?"

"It's not that," the green brother said as he pat her head gently and ruffled her hair. "We're sure you can do it. You just have to work hard if you want to reach your dream."

"That's right," the red brother spoke. "Master everything you have to do, and then you'll decide your path. The day you defeat all three of us is still a long way from now. But when you do, you will be much stronger and wiser than today. That is when you will decide your future."

"And I'm sure whatever path you choose," her favorite brother spoke as he shethes his own blades, "Father will be with you smiling all the way."

Hikari's eyes sparkled as she imagined herself faster, wiser, _stronger, _than all three of her brothers. That was when she vowed to never give up on her dream to defeat them.

She closed her eyes and felt her father's arms wrap around her body tight like he did when she was a young child. She could see his face again, a proud smile on his face. And she could hear his strong voice once more.

_"You can do it, my dear. Stay strong, and become who you want to be."_

Her eyes burst open, burning with confidence, and she kept a proud smile on her face. She could feel so much energy rushing through her body, she felt like she could run forever. "I'll do it! I'll become stronger, and I'm going to make Father proud!"

All three of her brothers smiled.

_**~End Dream~**_

Hikari woke up as she felt something twitch the tip of her nose.

She blinked once, twice, and what she saw horrified her. She was completly frozen. But then, she shut her eyes and screamed her head off.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Bankotsu couldn't imagine what would have made her scream like that.

A demon? But she isn't scared of any demon...

Something underwater? No, she could have sensed it.

Then could it be... A pervert?

_"No!" _He shook his head to clear out that thought. He couldn't imagine another man looking at her beautiful body, eating her with his eyes, taking in every single detail he could...

_"Stop it!" _he growled to himself. _"Even if it is a pervert, I'll kill him!"_

"Hikari!" he yelled as he and his brothers came to see what was happening. And what they saw shocked them all and horrified Jakotsu. No, they did not see a demon or a peeping tom.

Hikari was standing up, nude, her eyes wide in shock. Her arms were UNDER her chest, leaving her breats completly out in the open.

The girl stared at the men, and the men stared at the girl. All in silence.

...

...

...

Jakotsu's eyes finally went wide, and he screamed out in pain, "NOOO! MY EYES! MY EYES!" And he ran away.

The rest of the Shichinintai were still frozen. Then, their eyes went down to her chest... And they continued staring for a couple of seconds. And that's when Hikari snapped.

She screamed louder than she ever did in her life, and she yelled, "GET **OUT**! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU PERVERTS, GET **OUT** AND **DIE**!"

And the next thing the men knew, they were underwater.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I still can't believe Lord Sesshomaru decided to work with you!" Rin exclaimed as she smiled at Kohaku.

"I can't believe Inuyasha agreed to let him stay," the boy replied as he shook his head. "To think that he'd let his half brother-"

"Shhh," Kagome hushed. "Not so loud. Sesshomaru or Inuyasha might hear you and decide to change their minds. Let's just leave all the talking for another day and focus on what we have to pack up."

Rin and Kohaku nodded and went back to looking at the herbs they needed to bing.

"It really is a shock, though," Sango whispered to her friend as she and Miroku entered the hut. "Both of them absolutely despise each other, like the hatred we have for Naraku."

"Let's not forget that Sesshomaru isn't a fool, unlike Inuyasha," Miroku said. "He knows that working together will increase our chances of survival and our strength. Plus, he wants to know more about this 'Resurrector' too. The Band Of Seven is a dangerous pack. Sesshomaru killed Mukotsu, the poison master... The mercenaries may be out for revenge."

"That's not all," Jaken pipped in as he appeared from behind Miroku's leg.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked.

"My Lord went somewhere, so I was told to stay here and protect Rin."

"What were you about to say?" the monk urged him to go on.

"Those wretched men took poor Rin as a hostage once to lure in Lord Sesshomaru! But they failed and lost one of their companions."

Sango blinked in surprise. "Then it's another reason why Sesshomaru might want to stay with us. He wants to protect Rin..."

"Foolish woman!" Jaken exclaimed. "Lord Sesshomaru may care for Rin, but it is not only to protect her that we joined you! I'm sure My Lord has much better reasons than that!"

"Jaken."

The humans and little demon froze as they heard the cold growl.

Jaken fell to his Lord's feet and appologized, "I'm so sorry, My Lord! I didn't mean to say all that! Forgive me, these humans are most annoying! They keep on asking questions and-"

"Be quiet," Sesshomaru hushed again. He looked up at the humans and said, "We may be working together, but keep in mind that there will always be something seperating us. We will never become allies. As soon as all this is over, we break all bonds."

And without another word, the dog demon walked out.

Kagome watched him leave, and waited for him to disappear comepletly before turning to her friends and saying, "I forgot something. Should we... tell him about Hikari?"

"You shouldn't," said Inuyasha as he walked in. "Hikari's almost like an ally to the Band Of Seven. To us, she's our friend, but to Sesshomaru, she'll just be another enemy in the way. He'll kill her if she ever tries to protect them."

"In that case, shouldn't we tell him about our plans to join them?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha scowled and snapped, "First of all, I haven't even decided if we will let them join us! And second, I doubt he'll even listen to that. If I decide to let them join us, then we'll tell Sesshomaru about it after some time. If we tell him something like this so soon, he'll flip."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"It's your fault we're like this, you know," Suikotsu told a sulking Hikari.

Her face was still red with anger and embarassement, and she refused to talk or look at anybody. Except Ginkotsu. He was the only one who didn't see a thing since he couldn't get between the trees.

All the men sat on Ginkotsu, and she was observing what she did to each of their bodies. An aching neck, a misplaced bone... So water could actually do a lot more than getting you wet.

She was treating Suikotsu's wrist; it didn't twist very well.

"Ginkotsu, please tell Suikotsu that it's their fault they mistook my screaming as a cry for help," she said to the metal machine as she tried to keep her voice steady. _"Don't sound pissed, don't sound pissed..."_

"You heard her," Ginkotsu said to his brother.

"Oh, and tell Renkotsu that it's going to be his turn next."

"Renkotsu-"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"Thanks to all these injuries, we're going to have to slow down," Jakotsu sighed. He was the only one who saw Hikari's body and got out of the situation without any injuries.

"Ah, but the sight was well worth it," Bankotsu sighed in sheer hapinness.

"Ginkotsu!" Hikari snapped. "Tell Bankotsu that I'm going to break one of his bones if he doesn't get those images out of his head immediatly! And if he still doesn't listen, I'll break his Banryuu into pieces."

Bankotsu gulped and said, "Loud and clear."

As Hikari treated Renkotsu, she could feel Mukotsu's gaze on her behind. She said slowly this time, "Please tell Mukotsu to turn his head away from me before I turn it for him, Ginkotsu."

Mukotsu's eyes widened, and he immediatly turned around to face Jakotsu.

"I honestly don't see why woman's bodies are so beautiful to you," the gay man said.

"It's like seeing the ultimate man of your dreams naked, Jakotsu," Bankotsu replied. "How does that look?"

Jakotsu imagined the man of his dreams, and then shirtless, then completly nude... His head started spining round and round... And his brothers stared at him weirdly as their cross dresser brother began singing happily in an unknown language.

"It's that beautiful," Mukotsu said.

Hikari growled. "Ginkotsu, please tell everyone that if they don't change the subject to something more appropriate, they're going to have another bath. This time, I'll make sure the water is freezing cold."

Ginkotsu sighed. This messaging role was tiring.

"What made you scream?" Renkotsu asked her as she checked his arms and hands.

Hikari stiffened and caused her hand to squeeze his arm tighter than she was supposed to. Renkotus didn't whimper or anything. He only flinched. She told the man of metal she was sitting on, "Tell them that it's none of their buisness."

"Come on." Bankotsu insisted. "You won't even tell us something like that?"

"No."

"Why not?" Suikotsu asked.

"None of your buisness."

"Please tell us," Mukotsu pleaded.

"No."

"Not even a hint?" Renkotsu asked.

"NO."

"Why can't you just tell us?" Bankotsu asked again.

Her hand started shaking, and she finally bursted out, "How many times do I have to say it? I won't say a thing!" As she said the last word, she made the leaves on the tree above her rumble, and out of the leaves came a small caterpillar.

The caterpillar landed in front of Hikari.

She stared at it in complete horror for a second, until she ended up screaming her head off again. She bolted off behind a tree, as if it would hide her from anything. The poor little catepillar was blown away.

The men blinked, and blinked again.

"'The hell?" Jakotsu commented.

"So you're afraid of catepillars?" Bankotsu asked with a raised brow. "How could you be scared of something so stupid?"

"Or rather..." Renkotsu walked to the tree where she was hiding, and shook a few branches. Insects fell down from it, and Hikari's eyes widened in horror as those tiny little things hit the floor.

She ran off to hide behind another tree, breathless.

"Are you afraid of insects?" Renkotsu asked.

Looking at her pitiful expression, they took that as a yes.

Jakotsu bursted out laughing. "I can't believe this! You're afraid of insects? These small things?" he asked as he held up a few ants.

Hikari, still breathless, glared daggers at him, and puffed, "Shut... up..."

"That's all you're afraid of?" Bankotsu asked as he approched her. "So if I do this..." He took a catepillar from another tree and showed it to Hikari. "You'll run off?"

That's exactly what she did, and a drop of sweat rolled down his head. "Does the same go for bug demons?"

She growled, "Bug demons... and bugs... are two... totally different things!"

"I don't see why you're so afraid of them," Suikotsu said. "There tiny little things, you shouldn't be scared of whatever they do. To be terrified of bug demons, that's normal... But bugs?"

"That's just it!" she exclaimed. "Bugs are tiny, and slimy, and... DISGUSTING! Their tiny legs gross me out and... EWWW!"

All the men chuckled at how childish she was reacting. "To think that a strong woman like you would be scared of small. Tiny. Almost Invisible. Brown. Black. Million-eyed. Insects," Bankotsu teased.

Hikari blushed. "S-Shut up!" The men started chuckling even more at her flustered expression. "H-hey! Quit laughing at me! It's completly normal for a woman to be scared of insects! Everyone's scared of something and- hey! Are you listening to me?"

No, they weren't. They were too busy laughing at Hikari's miserable weakness.

She had finally had enough of her shame, and smacked her head on the tree. _"Why, oh, why did it have to come out?"_

Her weakness...

_"I don't only have one, do I?"_

And she thought back to the dream she had. She scowled and hit the tree with her fist. _"How could I have dreamt of something so... foolish? Aren't I over it yet?"_

Two images of the faces of her three brothers appeared in her mind. Their faces were lighted by the sunlight in the first version. They were smiling. They seemed so strong, trusworthy, and loyal...

But in the second version, their faces were smudged with _blood_.

And they were still smiling.

Her knuckles became white as she tried hard not to punch the tree another time. She clentched her teeth and closed her eyes. _"Calm down... Calm down..." _

"Hikari?"

She froze as she heard the familiar voice, and instantly lifted her head to see... her favorite older brother. She remained frozen on the spot, breathless, wide-eyed, not even knowing what to do.

The reason she was frozen was because of the huge shock... but also because of the fury she was keeping inside her.

When she blinked, her brother's image disappeared, and instead, Bankotsu was the one standing in front of her.

He spoke again, and this time, it really was his voice. "Hey, Hikari. You okay? Hellooo?" He waved his hand in her face.

Hikari blinked again, and shook her head to chase away the images in her head. She stopped his hand from moving any longer and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. No need to do that."

"You sure?"

She nodded. Do not show any sign of weakness... Do not show any sign of weakness...

Bankotsu smiled. "Alright then."

And then, he shoved a beattle in her face.

She stopped breathing at the tiny being in front of her eyes. Its tiny legs wiggled, and wiggled... It's huge black eyes didn't even blink... Hikari felt her whole body freeze.

Her heart stopped beating for a second... Until it started beating faster and faster. Her breathing was back, but it was fast. She felt like she was about to lose conciousness...

Then she drew her head back, and yelled, "You JERK!"

She slapped the beattle out of his hand. And slapped him partly too.

Bankotsu blinked at the light pain he felt on his cheek. "Hey, relax, I was only teasin'."

She glared at him as she tried to catch her breath. "Teasing a woman like that... isn't very good. You jerk... pervert..."

Little did she know, the rest of the Shichinintai were looking. They started to chuckle, and their chuckles turned into laughter. And she felt humiliated all over again.

Oh, what a beautiful day.

*O*~*O*~*O*

**_That night..._**

"Ahh..." Bankotsu sighed as he laid down on the soft grass. "Man, am I glad that I'm not sleeping in that village any longer."

"It must have been so hot and uncomfortable, though," Jakotsu commented. "With not enough private space and so many people surrounding you, anyone would think it was a funeral pile, huh?"

Bankotsu blinked and glanced at Hiari from the other side of the little campfire.

Jakotsu grabbed all the wood, and Renkotsu handled to fire. They all had a quick meal, and decided to stay there for the night. There was a river right next to where they were, so they could drink as soon as they wake up.

Mukotsu was already sleeping, his old age holding him down from staying up late.

Hikari, Renkotsu, and Suikotsu continued chattering about some of their stories in life. Ginkotsu was looking at the moon's sparkling reflection in the river. The gentle waves gave it an ovalish shape.

That night in the village was the village was indeed warm, but only because he was there with Hikari. He could still feel her warm body in his arms, shifting gently from time to time because she felt uncomfortable. By then, he'd hold her a little tighter to calm her down. He didn't know if it worked, but she seemed to stop moving.

"Well, I'm going to get some shut eye," Jakotsu yawned.

"Already?" Bankotu sat back up. He looked at the purple sky and said, "It's not even dark yet."

"'S'not like there's anything else to do. Might as well get ready for tomorrow. And if I wake up in the middle of the night, things will probably be more intersting by then," his friend mumbled as he closed his eyes and started snoring.

The leader narrowed his eyes. _"He's not even as old as Mukotsu and he's already falling alseep at this time. And what does he mean, 'more interesting by night time'? I hope he's not talking about stars."_

He couldn't imagine his best friend having the same hobby as Hikari.

He stretched his arms out and asked the three people chatting on the other side of the fire. "So who's going to stand guard for the night?"

Hikari blinked. "Why ask now? There's still a lot of time before we go to sleep."

Bankotsu pointed to the snoring Jakotsu behind him, and then to Mukotsu who was sleeping on Ginkotsu. "Two of us are already out. Let's decide now while everyone's awake."

Renkotsu immediatly answered. "I'll do it. Suikotsu can take my place a little later."

Suikotsu nodded. "Fine with me."

And before long, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, and Hikari were the only ones awake. Bankotsu and Hikari were talking by the fire, while Renkotsu was making sure his precious gourd and cannons were in perfect shape.

"And I'm telling you this way is safer!" Hikari's voice suddenly exclaimed.

"This way is faster than that one!" Bankotsu barked back. "We'll get to Mount. Hakurei much faster, and look here, demons don't appear around this area! The road isn't bumpy, so that's going to save Ginkotsu some trouble."

Renkotsu sighed. It was amazing how long those two could bicker over something so stupid. Couldn't they decide which way the band would take without waking up the demons in the forest and whitout ripping the only map they had?

"Ginkotsu can take hard roads, and as for the demons, there are going to be tons over here! The swamp attracts them, have you forgotten?"

"Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't spot that one..." Bankotsu mumbled.

"What? I can't afford to use so many of my herbs in a single day! It's already bad enough I have to take care of Mukotsu!"

"If we don't fight anything at all, we'll get bored to death! Us men are going to go crazy if we don't try our skill on something!"

Veins started popping on Renkotsu's head. When he about about to snap, someone else beat him to it.

Suikotsu woke up from the huge racket and snapped at the two teens. "Damn it! can't you two just shut the hell up? We're trying to get some sleep here!"

Hikari and Bankotsu stared at the furious doctor.

The grumpy man seemed to have forgotten that Bankotsu was the leader. He froze, and looked away. "Oh... Sorry."

Hikari smiled nervously. "No, it's not your fault. We should have been quieter. I'm sorry." She glanced at Bankotsu and gave him a look saying 'You apologize too. Now.'

The young leader shrugged and grumbled. "Yeah, whatever."

Suikotsu grunted and lied down again.

The healer sighed and looked back at the map. "How about we go this way," she pointed at a route, "and then we turn over here?" her finger continued moving along the road until it was seperated in two. She pointed to the left side. "We'll rest whenever we want."

Before he could object, she said, "It may be a long way, but we'll only come across a few demons. Does that sound nice to you?" she asked as she looked at his reaction.

He shrugged. "I guess we can go with that."

Then he yawned.

She smiled. "Why don't you go to sleep? The leader needs his sleep too if he wants to keep his band going."

He blinked. "What about you?"

She rolled the map up and said, "I'll stay up for a while longer. I need to think about some things."

Bankotsu opened his mouth to object, but she stopped him by placing her finger it. She smiled and spoke in a soothing tone, "Don't worry. I'll be right next to you when you wake up."

Satisfied, he mumbled as he stood up, "Alright. But make sure that you don't stay up too long."

She rolled her eyes and growled teasingly, "What are you, my father?"

"If I was your father, you wouldn't exist."

She blinked in confusion, and he answered with a smirk, "I wouldn't even _be_ the father of any child, because there's only one woman who will bear my children..." he kneeled back down, and took her blushing cheek in his hand, "I wonder who that could be..."

He gave her a quick kiss, not even caring about Renkotsu's presence. "'Night," he spoke softly.

When he pulled away, she whispered back, "Good night."

He bounded off, rested his back on Ginkotsu, and closed his eyes. She waited for him to fall asleep before walking to Renkotsu. The second in command was polishing his cannons.

She walked up to him, looked over his shoulder and said suddenly, "That cannon is good for close range attacks, isn't it?"

Renkotsu stiffened a little at her sudden appearance, but then relaxed and replied, "Yes."

Hikari glanced at the cannon lying next to it and said as she observed it closely, "That one makes a loud noise when it attacks to block the enemy's hearing... I think..."

The bald man blinked in surprise. "Umm... Yes, you're right."

Then she looked at another one. "And this one flashes a huge light to blind the enemy whenever it attacks..."

"How do you know all that?" He finally asked.

She stiffened and looked away.

_"She doesn't want to answer,"_ he realised. But she still replied.

"I... had a mentor," she said rather uncomfortably.

"A mentor?" he asked, slightly shocked. "I thought legendary healers only used arrows, spears, swords, and demonic swords such as yours. I didn't hear a thing about cannons. Or did you learn about them after your village was destroyed?"

That sounded harsher than it was supposed to. If Bankotsu ever heard what he had said, he would have ripped his head off. But Hikari didn't seem to catch the few last words.

She looked up at the sky and spoke softly. He could barely distinguish what she was saying. "Let's just say that I was a special case..."

He didn't understand what she meant, but didn't bother asking. He wasn't really interested in her life anyways. They remained silent. They both knew very well why she decided to stay awake. There were some things they needed to discuss.

They just didn't know how to start the whole conversation.

"Who was that man?" Hikari asked suddenly.

"What man?" he asked as if she didn't know what she was talking about.

He could imagine her scowling. "You clearly know what I mean. You said yourself that we'd talk about what happened to you."

He continued speaking in a calm tone, "Very well. Which man are you talking about? If I remember correctly, I showed you two."

She thought carefully about the two men she saw earlier that day. Should she start with the man with orange hair or the one who was in black and white clothing? If she started with the orange haired one, she may cause Renkotsu to feel pain... The orange guy died, didn't he? Even if Renkotsu was bad... She didn't really want to hurt anybody...

But then again, it didn't matter who she started with. They were both going to be mentionned once anyways.

"Talk to me about the orange haired one," she answered.

He sighed. "I was hoping you weren't going to choose him."

_"Am I supposed to think 'oops' in this case?" _she thought as she watched him stand up. He spoke again, "But it won't matter since he's going to be mentionned anyway."

_"He somehow read my mind."_ A drop of sweat rolled down Hikari's head.

"The man you saw was Ginkotsu."

Her eyes went wide and her breathing stopped. She looked at the sleeping Ginkotsu and back at the second in command. The image of the orange man bleeding to death came into her mind. Suddenly, everything made sense. "That's how he got that metal body?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper as she spoke in disbelief.

"Don't jump to conclusions yet," Renkotsu warned. "I'll start from the beginning."

He took a deep breath as he recalled all those old memories. He looked up at the dark sky, just like he did all those years ago...

"I grew up in a poor village," he started calmly. "Because we were so weak, monks used to come to our homes and help us with food, water, money, everything. I remember how amazed I was at how much they owned," he said bitterly.

He took a pause, and only the crikets could be heard.

That silence was broken when Hikari asked unconsiously, "Did you have hair at that time?"

As soon as she asked, she clamped her mouth with her hands. She could see the red veins popping onto his head. "I-I'm sorry! It just came out! I didn't want to-"

He stood bakc up, faced her, and snapped, "Of course you wanted to ask that question, everybody does! Everybody wonders what I'd look like with hair!"

"I'm sorrrryy!"

He sighed and calmed down. "Yes, I had hair at that time. And I'll even specify that my hair was brown so you won't ask later!" he snapped yet again.

"That's... good to know..."

"When I became a young adult, I decided to become a monk, just like the other half of our men," he continued, "The man you saw cloacked in black and white was my master and mentor."

Renkotsu showed her another picture of his master, just to remind her of what he looked like. He was smiling, and slightly behind him, there was another young monk, another teenager, dressed in purple. That man couldn't have been Ginkotsu. His hair was black.

"Wait!" she exclaimed as the picture fadded. Renkotsu blinked in surprise, and she spoke again, "Show me that man in purple again."

He growled and the surprise disappeared. "I thought you were focussing on my master."

"I was. But show me that monk again."

He rolled his eyes and showed it to her again. This time, the monk was facing him. Hikari's breath was taken away as she saw the face. _"Miroku?"_

She shook her head. _"No. What I'm seeing here is over twenty, or even twenty-five years in the past. Miroku wasn't born by then. But on the other hand, his father..."_

"Who is he?" she asked.

"He's someone I've only met twice in my life. He was with me for the first few years of my training."

"What's his name?"

"Why all the questions?" he growled.

"There's something I need to know!" Her voice tone started rising with impatience.

He shook his head. "How would I remember the name of a man whom I've met five years ago? Since I've been dead for fifteen years, I suppose around twenty years have past since then. And the man might be dead right now."

She frowned in disappointement. _"That man is dead. Unless he isn't Miroku's father."_

The man in purple she saw was in his teens. _"If Renkotsu met the guy 'five' years ago... Then that must mean five years past after they met... which means that the man might have been in his twenties... During the fifteen years the Band of Seven was gone, he might have had children..."_

_"He HAS to be Miroku's father."_

She knew that if she asked another question, Renkotsu would go overboard. So she kept her questions for another time and urged him to continue, "I'm listening. Go on."

He rolled his eyes. "As I was saying... I had a mentor. He taught me well for a year, until one day, Ginkotsu came along."

An image appeared in Hikairi's head again. It was the orange haired man, holding out his arm as a greeting, just like before. He had strong arms, a large chest, and his eyes shone with confidence and pride in his own strength.

"He didn't come to our temple to become a monk. Ginkotsu came for a visit because he was raised by a famous monk, who was feeling rather ill at that time. He and that monk came to our temple so we could take care of him while the old man was getting better.

"Ginkotsu could have taken very good care of himself. He had the strength, the body, and the mind to survive and find a village of his own to live in. But he chose to stay with us in respect of the one who rose him to be a man."

He looked at Ginkotsu, and Hikari followed his eye. She couldn't believe that the man she saw in Renkotsu's mind was... that. A metal tank. The spirit of a man inside an artificial... body, if we could ever call it that. The only human skin visible was his face.

"You had different names at that time, right?" she asked. "I won't ask for them, but when did you decide to change them?"

"That will come as I go on," he replied calmly. "During the time Ginkotsu's 'master' was healing, I became good friends with him. We visited a village and saw all the fire bombs, cannons, everything," he said, wonder in his tone. "When they blew up, there were sparks everywhere, and the fire kept on burning, and burning... You can tell by how amazed Ginkotsu and I were just by looking at our expressions."

Hikari remembered the weapons scattered on the floor, and the amazement she felt inside. _"Renkotsu was actually enthusiastic back then..."_

But his tone suddenly grew serious again. "The way we saw things in the temple changed in a single day. Some demons set the whole temple on fire. You saw it before."

She nodded. He said, "The older monks were able to kill the demons, but not before the whole thing caught on fire. Some elderly monks were still trapped inside, and some others were trying to help them out."

It hit her. "Ginkotsu's master was trapped too, wasn't he?"

He nodded slowly. "Ginkotsu and I fought the demons outside. When the trouble with the demons was over, all the monks started going inside to save the survivors. The younger monks in trainning like me remained outside.

"All the others felt worried for their masters... But Ginkotsu and I were different." His voice sounded like it was distant. "We didn't give a damn about anyone or anything at that moment. We stared at the fire and how its sparks flew into the sky. It was amazing. All the ashes were falling slowly... Our complete attention was captured by the fire. That was all we could think of.

"When the fire was finally out, we found many corpses. I remember the smell in the air after everything vanished. Many monks died, and many others were scarred for life."

He paused and closed his eyes. She waited patiently for him to continue.

"When we were told of the dead men, Ginkotsu and I didn't feel the least bit of sorrow. We didn't even flinch when Ginkotsu's master's name was called during the burial. I suppose you can say that was when our hearts started growing cold."

Hikari didn't bother asking if Renkotsu's master survived. She knew the answer already.

"A few years passed... and our passion with cannons and bombs and fire grew even more. Eventually, we even ended up blowing up some trees and setting them on fire," he chuckled.

His chuckled suddenly stopped. And his usual cool tone turned into a very, very icy one. "Over the years, people have noticed how much we loved the weapons. I can't remember how many times my master scolded me to stick with sutras.

"One day, they finally had enough," he growled. "Ginkotsu and I ended up killing an elder by shooting a bomb into the forest. How were we supposed to know that there was an old man taking a walk in there?

"When we replied it was only an old man, that he wouldn't live that long anyways, their fury bursted. They understood that we no longer had any interest in being a monk, or hanging around to be good. No, they knew our hearts weren't 'pure', as they said. They said they could feel our 'evil' from miles away. And for being such horrid things in the temple... Ginkotsu suffered the ultimate consenquence."

Suddenly, Hikari was surrownded by monks in her mind. They looked furious. 'She' had no trouble pushing them away... But whenever she's puch two monks aside, she'd see the orange haired man bleeding and bleeding...

Her sight was covered by blood, and when she looked down at 'her' hands, they were covered with red liquid. There were cries. Cries of fury, of pain... But mostly of agony. Two voices of agony.

One was Renkotu's. The other was Ginkotsu's.

"I was fine on my own," Renkotsu said calmly again. "I survived with a few injuries to my head and chest. But Ginkotsu wasn't trained to defend himself. They delivered blows to his chest... to his heart. It nearly stopped beating when I finally got out of that damn temple.

"We were banished by my own master. It took me everything I had to keep Ginkotsu alive. A few days after we left, he said he couldn't feel his arms or legs anymore. I had to carry him on my back as of then. It took me a year to find a good body for him. With the help of someone I met long ago, I was able to make Ginkotsu his body. We knew we couldn't become part of the good, so we attached weapons to him.

"I also learned how to breathe fire and to control my own weapons," he looked at his cannons and continued, "We attacked a few villages... And you know the rest of the story. Bankotsu eventually found us and took us in. The day we met Bankotsu was when we changed our names."

"How did Ginkotsu survive without arms and legs?" she asked more to herself.

"It was his determination to live," he replied. "When you're on the verge of death-"

"You determination will decide whether you live or die," she completed. She said the same thing to Bankotsu when she first came to their camp to heal Kyoukotsu. Her heart lurched as she remembered the giant's death. If another man of the Shichinintai started dying that night, would they trust her enough to put their lives in her hands?

"That's right. I'm not surprised you already know. Mukotsu's gotten out of many situations of death, and that's because he's determined to live longer. Though right now, I think his time is up."

That very moment, Mukotsu, who was sleeping quietly next to Ginkotsu, started coughing widly. Hikari rushed to his side and and placed a hand on his tiny chest. His coughs started disappearing slowly, until everything was quiet again.

"You see?" Renkotu said when Hikari stood away from the old man. "We've rarely seen a man live over sixty years, and look at him! He's old enough to be Bankotsu's great-granfather!"

Hikari smiled softly as Mukotsu started snoring lightly again. "It's true. A man this old is rare. And I've seen men ten years younger than him who wanted to die because of how useless they felt in their villages. They couldn't go out, they couldn't play with kids, and they could barely walk on their feet to get some water from a river.

"However, Mukotsu's different." She turned around and faced the mercenary. "He may have the old body of a seventy-year-old man, but he's got the mind of a man as old as you.

"He's still got the mind of a spirited young..." she paused as she tried to search for the right word. "... mercenary, still has enough memory to remember our names and the poisons he handles, and not to mention that perverted young mind," she mumbled.

"I'm guessing it'd be normal for him to want to live. If he's younger in mind, then of course, he'd want to live longer." Her eyes grew sad when she spoke the next words, "But like every human, he's doesn't know how to face death."

Renkotsu blinked at how... wise she sounded. When she argued with Bankotsu, she sounded like a young teen. And now here she was, speaking like an old man. _"How odd."_

"I think Ginkotsu's like that too."

"Huh?"

"Not just Ginkotsu. I mean all of you men." She smiled. "You live for the thrill of killing, but the thought of death horrifies you. All of you have killed at least a thousand men, and yet... I don't know if you've all had your share of kills, but if you did, then why continue living the life of a mercenary?

"All living beings have a goal in life. Insects live to feed birds. Birds live to feed us. Unlike animals or demons, us humans can choose our goal. Bankotsu wanted Banryuu to turn into a demon sword. He got his wish, but what would he do after that?"

She looked at him. The words she spoke sounded like a challenge; she was talking about Bankotsu, but she was speaking to _him_. "It's the same for the rest of you. We all live to do what we like. But all you do is kill... That isn't the right way to live.

"Some people die before they realise the true meaning to their short humain life. A murderer could have found true love if he didn't decide to go recklessly killing others. And Naraku could have lived so much better if he tossed his jealousy aside," she said quietly.

"But you men were lucky," she continued. "You not only did you have a second chance at life, but now, you're living your third. You can turn your backs on your old life and live some other and much better way."

Renkotsu stared at her with surprised eyes. Why was she speaking of this? All this talk about life, as if it mattered to them... It didn't matter at all, right? As long as they had something to kill, they were fine.

His leader's face came into his mind. Then, Hikari appeared next to him. They were both smiling. Was this the path Bankotsu chose? Did he want to leave his job as a mecenary to live with Hikari? Did he think it was the right choice? Was it really the right choice?

He snorted and finally answered, "If you think you're going to change the way I live, then think again." He turned his back to her and looked back at his weapons once again. "The day we turn good will be when all demons, humans, when all living beings die."

Despite his harsh words, she had a soft smiled on her face. "Even though you're saying that, I'm sure every single one of you want to live a good life," she looked over at the sleeping men, "And I'm sure that all of you know that there's a lot more to living then the job of a mercenary."

Renkotsu snorted again. "Whatever. You should probably get to sleep. You got what you wanted."

After that, he didn't speak another word. Hikari shrugged and sat beside Bankotsu. She looked back at the bald man and smiled.

* * *

**Oh my gosh. I'm so proud with how Hikari's dream came out! :D**

**By now, you probably know who her brothers are. If you don't, then... Wait for more flashbacks :) And if I give you a hint, it'll spoill everything...**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	19. Clues And Travels

**Sorry for the wait! ^^' **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 18**

_**~Dream~**_

Hikari was in the forest. She looked up at what her father was holding in his hands. "What is this?"

Her father grinned. "What does it look like? Here, hold them."

He handed her the two blades he was holding, but little Hikari still seemed to doubt something. "They're big. How will I be able to hold them up? You know that strength isn't my strongest point, Father! Mother, can't you hold them?"

Michiko smiled and shook her head. "No, apparently I can't."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's only in my blood," her father answered. "Your mother won't be able to hold them even if she was the strongest being on earth. Come on, give it a try."

Her eyes narrowed, but she took them anyways. She was expecting her arms to fall off, but the blades were as light as feather. Her expression brightened, and she smiled proudly. She swung them around a few times, astounded by how easily she could move these katanas, which were about twice her size. She held the weapons to the sun and stared, amazed. "Wow!"

Her mother giggled. "What do you think? Better than the ones you trained with, right?"

"You bet!"

Her father chuckled. "I'm glad you like them. Because they'll be yours from now on."

Hikari blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm giving my weapons to you."

She dropped the blades and exclaimed in disbelief, "But you can't do that! You won't have any weapons left to fight!"

He nodded. "I know that, my dear." He kneeled down and said, "But the blades aren't the only important things in life. There is also family, and the fact that you need to keep the generation going. One day, I will die, and someone needs to keep these blades for me."

Tears were starting to appear in Hikari's small eyes. The mere thought of losing her father forever broke her heart."No! You can't die!" She dropped the katanas and hugged her father tight. She whimpered, "I don't want you to die... You have to stay... If you give me this... You really will go away..." Happiness, smiles, strength, laughter... He offered her everything. How would she be able to live without the man who gave her so much?

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Now, now. I'm not completly useless without any weapons. Besides, I have your mother to protect me," he said as he winked at Michiko.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't expect me to have your back all the time. I'm going to grow old and I'll need my breaks too."

He laughed. "Sorry, but I can still imagine you as an old woman and still up for the fight."

"This isn't a time to be laughing!" Hikari suddenly exclaimed as she let go. "You're giving me these and you don't realise what you can't do without them! You won't be able to protect anyone, or to fight, or..."

Her father chuckled. "Whoa, now. You don't really need weapons to fight or to protect someone."

She blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

He shook his head. "You're only six years old, and yet you already know so much about life. But you don't know much about the sacrifices some of us have to make. All of us have made sarifices before. For example, that time to took down a tree because you had to train. If you wanted to get stronger, you had to test your strength on it.

"Also," he continued, "Protecting someone is a lot more than just weapons. Because it doesn't matter what weapon you're wielding," he grabbed the two swords on the floor, "The only thing that matters... is that you're trying to save the ones you love with all you've got."

He handed the blades to her. This time, Hikari took a good long look at them. Then, she gently took them in her hands. She held them up to the sun, and they shone unlike any other blade she's ever seen. Considering the size of the katanas, it was almost unbielivable how light they felt. They were over fifty years old, and yet they looked like they were forged a few minutes ago.

She looked at her father again. "Is it really okay for me to have these?"

He smiled. "Yes. And one day, you're going to have to give them to your children, and they will give them to their children. The generation will go on. Even if I die, a part of me will stay here," he touched the blades, "Traces of battles we've fought. Traces of the blood we lost. They will all remain in these swords, until their own end."

Hikari marveled at the weapons she held in her small hands. _"I'm holding the same swords my ancestors once held. If father's right, then my ancestors' powers still remain. And now it's my job to keep it going!"_

She felt slightly guitly when she remembered that she was planning on living without a husband. After all, boys were stupid and clumsy. She couldn't let them slow her down.

_"I'm still going to do it," _she vowed. _"Who knows, maybe I'm going to get a younger sibling later, and then, I'll leave it to him to continue the generation."_

But looking at the blades, she knew that even if she did get a sibling, she'd never give him her weapons. She didn't want to get married or have children, but it was to continue the generation...

"I'm going to do it!" she exclaimed. She bowed to her father and said, "Thank you, Father. I'll keep them safe. I promise to take care of them!"

He and Michiko smiled. "That's good to know."

He pat her head. "I'll be waiting for the day you master your new weapons."

_**~End Dream~**_

"Hikari. Hikari, wake up."

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Bankotsu's blue eyes. Then, it was his smile. And finally, his face. When she was finally completly awake, she sat up. She stretched her arms out and yawned. Her tired eyes went to the river.

"Did you have a good sleep?" he asked with a grin.

"You were watching me sleeping, weren't you?" she asked without looking at him. She was still busy trying to adjust her sight to the sunlight. She groaned.

"I can't help it. How can I keep my eyes away when such a rare beauty," he took her face in his hand, "... is sleeping with such a cute smile on her face."

She rolled her eyes. "Good morning to you too."

Hikari looked around and noticed that a few men were missing. Suikotsu was sleeping on Ginkotsu, tired from his night shift. Mukotsu was up and awake. "Where did the two others go?" she asked.

"Off hunting," he replied as he stood up. "They should be back soon enough."

"Sooner than you think," Renkotsu said as he appeared from the bushes with a boar on his back. Jakotsu followed with a rabbit in his hand.

Bankotsu frowned as he saw the amount of prey they captured. "That's all there is?"

Jakotsu nodded, and placed the rabbit down. "Apparently, this is the only fresh prey we could find. We found some animal remains, but they weren't fresh enough for us to eat.

"We couldn't find any plants either," Renkotsu added. "They were either dead or poisonous. Looks like the demons took everything they could find."

Hikari took out the map and said, "Well, there are more demons surrounding this area than other places. Right now, we're at the core of this place, so I guess we won't find much prey."

Bankotsu looked at the map. "If we go a little further and follow the left side of the road, there should be more food."

"How long till we get there?" Renkotsu asked.

The L. Healer frowned. "If we go with our usual rythm, with all the breaks we take, we may get there in two hours. But if we're faster and we don't take any breaks, we should be there in an hour and a half."

"Let's go with our usual rythm," Bankotsu said. "We won't be able to eat much this morning, so we can't afford to use up too much energy either. Also, we might come across a few demons on our way."

"In that case, some people should eat less and some people should eat more, right?" Renkotsu suggested.

Hikari shook her head. "No." _"It wouldn't be fair for Mukotsu. I know you're not going to let him eat much," _she thought bitterly. But instead, she said, "I think everyone should eat as much as the others, and we'll hunt along the way. As we get further from this place, there should be more prey and fruits we can eat."

"That's a good idea," Bankotsu said as he stood back up. "For now, let's focus on eating and getting our strength back." He glanced at the doctor sleeping on Ginkotsu and said, "Can someone wake Suikotsu up?"

Jakotsu walked over to his sleeping brother. "Hey, Suikotsu. Wake up, we're leaving!"

The doctor mumbled a little, and went back to snoring.

"Hey! Wake up!"

The cross dresser wacked his comrade on his head.

Suikotsu jolted back up. "OW! What the hell was that for?"

He replied smugly, "If you don't get up the first time I call you, you suffer the consequences. Come on. We're eating."

Suikotsu growled. He got off of Ginkotsu and walked to the rest of his brothers. Renkotsu already prepared the fire and the meat was burning. "Hey, how much longer till we get to Mt. Hakurei?" the doctor asked.

"That depends," Hikari said as she looked back at the map. "If we stay on track, we'll arrive in five days. But if we're slowed down by demons or other things, I think that it's going to take us another week."

"Let's hope... we stay on track..." Ginkotsu said.

"Yeah, five days is already a lot, if you ask me," Jakotsu said. "We want to know who brought us back as soon as possible so we can live normaly again."

_"Normaly..." _Hikari glanced at Bankotsu from the corner of her eye. She could clearly remember the conversation she had with Renkotsu the other night. She knew that Bankotsu would probably want ot live with her, but what would his brothers think of it?

_"Just what is their normal life? What does 'life' mean to them all?"_

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I don't think Inuyasha can take any more of this," Miroku said to Sango.

"I'm sure he can last a little longer," she replied. "Just until lunch time, at least."

"But what if he doesn't?" Kohaku asked. "He might bring up a fight."

"I think he's going to burst soon," Shippou said.

Big Kirara growled in agreement.

The three were flying on Kirara (and Shippou was on Miroku's shoulder) while Kagome rode on Inuyasha's back. Sesshomaru flew on his own, with that emotionless expression stuck on his face, and Rin and Jaken were riding on Ah-Un.

Inuyasha had a big scowl.

"That poker face of his is starting to disappear," the kitsune mumbled.

"We know, Shippou, we know," Sango sighed.

"Nobody's really happy about this," Miroku said. "But everyone's going to endure it because it's for our own good."

Back on the ground, Kagome whispered to Inuyasha, "Say, what are we going to do when we come across a village? We can't let Sesshomaru in a village, people are going to panic!"

Inuyasha grumbled back, "Sesshomaru's gonna go around it, and we're going through it. That's all."

"But then, he might go faster than us, and we might end up getting seperated."

"So what? We'll find them by sniffing them out. It's no problem."

Kagome frowned. "You don't care if we get seperated, do you?"

He didn't say anything.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am, you're right at my ear!"

"Then answer my question!"

He sighed. "I just don't see why we need their help. We're fine without them."

Kagome felt like she explianed this ten times already. "We needed help from people to find Naraku. It would be logical to find some help from other people like Sesshomaru and Koga.

"I know it's hard to deal with," she said smootly, "But just endure it for now, and you'll get used to it."

"That's just it, I don't want to get used to it," he growled. "I already have enough things I need to deal with."

She blinked. "You don't mean the Band Of Seven, do you?"

"What do you think?" he asked. He glanced at Sesshomaru. "I can't even deal with him right now, and you guys want me to-" He stopped talking when he remembered that Sesshomaru had sharp ears.

"Let's... not talk about that right now," Kagome suggested. "But really, you should make your decision soon. You never know when we'll bump into them."

He sighed again. His friend continued, "I know it's a hard choice, but you need to decide. And you should also think about when you're going to tell Sesshomaru about all this."

The half demon shook his head. "You don't get it. If Sesshomaru is with us, the Band Of Seven can't... you know what I'm talking about. But if those guys come with us, Sesshomaru's gonna kill them. It's one option or another. And I know that you want both of them joining us."

Kagome frowned. "You're right. I guess I should have thought of it earlier." She sighed in discouragement. "But maybe we can seperate. Koga's our ally, but we works on his own. We can do that."

"Have you forgotten about a certain 'special thing'?"

She sounded confused. "What special thing...?"

And she suddenly remembered Hikari.

He whispered to her, just low enough for only her ears. "If we keep 'her' with us, the Band Of Seven are going to furious. And we can't let them keep her, we need her more than them!"

Oh, how Kagome hated how complicated the situation was.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku called. "Up ahead!"

He yelled back, "I know, I know!"

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"A small demon," he replied. "Nothing we can't handle. I'll let Sango or someone else handle it."

All of a sudden, Sesshomaru sped past them all. The loud roar of a demon could be heard. Rin ordered Ah-Un to go after him, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Those idiots!" Inuyasha growled. Then, he called his friends. "Hurry up! Who knows what'll happen!"

When everyone arrived at the scene, the demon was already dead. Sesshomaru's claws were covered in blood, and he was shaking it all off. Jaken hopped off Ah-Un, and, as usual, exclaimed in pride, "Magnificient! Just as expected from Lord Sesshomaru!"

Little Rin smiled gleefully. "Lord Sesshomaru never loses!"

Inuyasha let Kagome hop off of him and walked up to his brother. "That was a stupid move!" He growled through gritted teeth. "You can't just run off like that without warning!"

Sesshomaru gave him a cold glare. "And what is that supposed to mean? That I should take orders from _you_?"

Inuyasha stiffened, and scowled even harder.

His older brother turned his back to him. "Hmph. Pathetic."

He started walking away, when Inuyasha barked, "You should have at least waited for us to arrive! And what if it was a strong demon, huh? What would you do then?"

Sesshomaru halted, and spoke in his usual calm tone, "I shouldn't wait for you to arrive. You should already be at the scene of the battle as soon as you smell the enemy. You and your comrades should be faster next time. That is all."

*O*~*O*~*O*

For the next five days, the quest for the Resurrector continued on both sides. While the Band of Seven and Hikari were on their way to what's was left of Mt. Hakurei to find some clues, the Inutachi continued to search for clues... anywhere in Japan.

Their lives went on and on as usual.

... If you say that hanging out with your pain-in-the-ass-older-half-brother is usual.

And finally, early in the morning, the Shichinintai really did find Mt. Hakurei.

But they couldn't really call it a 'Mt' anymore.

It was more like 'Big Pile of Rubble Hakurei'.

"How are we going to find anything in this pile of junk!" Jakotsu yelled when they all stood in front of the pile of rocks.

"N... no need to worry," Bankotsu said as he jumped off Ginkotsu and ran his hand over the rocks. "We're sure to find something..." The words would have been more convincing if he didn't sound so unsure.

Renkotsu looked around warily, expecting something to suddenly appear. "Well... This place certainly has changed a lot since the last time we came here."

"Changed in what way?" Jakotsu asked sarcastically. "You mean the fact that there's more rocks or that there's no mountain? Clearly this place looks like it's changed, the damn mountain was the only thing standing here!"

The second in command rolled his eyes. "The suffocating aura's disappeared, that's another fact."

Suikotsu looked around and blinked. "You're right." He shivered. "Even though there's a tiny trace left, it's not like it's going to affect me in any way. Ugh, I can still remember the feeling I got whenever I came here."

Jakotsu mumbled, "You can say that again."

Hikari turned to Mukotsu who was sitting on the metal tank. "You should probably stay here, Mukotsu. Though the air isn't as pure as it was before, it might still give you a headache."

The old man nodded. "Very well, very well."

"Where do you want to go search first?" Renkotsu asked the leader.

"We split up and find our death spots," he announced.

"And... just how will we be able to do that?" Suikotsu asked. "I know where to find my death place, but I'm guessing that some of you died inside the mountain?"

"And I won't be able to sense any auras," Hikari said. "It's been over six months since the second time you've died, and over a month since that resurrector guy came. I'm pretty sure everything's disappeared by now."

Bankotsu frowned. "Hmm... Good point..."

Ginkotsu boomed, "So... we search... the whole mountain?"

Everyone stared at him. In shock AND because he said something insane.

"Are you crazy?" Jakotsu exclaimed, and stared as if he'd grown another head. "It'll take us forever to clear the whole thing out! We might even get crushed by a rock!"

"Actually..." Hikari said thoughtfully. "That might be the only choice we have left."

"What?"

She looked at the mountain of rocks and explained, "We're not completly helpless. With our weapons, we may be able to find what we need. We can use Ginkotsu and Renkotsu's cannons to clear out the biggest rocks... My swords can come in handy to clear out some things."

Renkotsu nodded. "I agree. Though we may end up destroying something important, and though it will take a complete day or two, it's the only option we have. Nothing else would work."

"Then it's what we're going to do," Bankotsu said as he smirked, satisfied. "But we'll start by searching the areas where we're sure to find something. Then, we'll put the plan into action."

First off, Bankotsu, Suikotsu, and Hikari went to find Suikotsu's death place, since he died near the base of the mountain. "It shouldn't be too hard to find," the doctor said.

"But even the base of the mountain's crumbled," Hikari said. "How is it not hard to find it?"

"Uhhh... Well..."

Bankotsu sighed. "Hikari, can you search around the mountain?"

She seemed confused. "Hm? For what?"

"Anything that might have anything to do with Suikotsu. Dark power, good power, any strange aura, whatever."

The L. healer searched far and wide for anything around the mountain. She even searched beyond the mountain. The only thing she could really find was a village.

_"Not just any kind of village, though," _she thought as she looked deeper.

She foound children in a small hut. Some others close by were picking herbs. _"I knew it. That's Suikotsu's village! Well, the doctor's village, at least. If we start there, we should find some sort of clue."_

"Follow me, I think I know where we could start." She ran off with the two men at her heels.

Unlike Suikotsu, finding Renkotsu's death place was easy. And also unlike his brother, he went alone.

He stared at a huge rock. Images passed by his eyes as he remembered who was sitting on it. He could picture Bankotsu looking into the forest, with that emotionless expression on his face. Emotionless... yet so thirsty. For his blood.

Renkotsu growled, then shook his head. "Now is not the time to think about this. The sooner I get out of this place, the better."

He walked past the big rock and looked around. _"There's barely anything here!" _he cursed.

He continued looking, when something shiny caught his eye. The closer he got to the shine, the more he could see what is was. On the ground, dried herbs surrounded a big white circle. Around the circle was some odd purple liquid. In the center of the circle was a black shining stone.

He blinked at how the light was reflected in his eyes, but he forced himself to look at it. He kneeled down next to the circle and touched it lightly. When he looked back and his finger, it was white.

_"Powder?"_ he wondered. _"White powder? This isn't salt or sugar either... And white gun powder doesn't exist..."_

Next, he inspected the herbs. _"It looks like something a healer would use..." _Though they were dry, he could tell every detail of the plants. _"If these things lasted for over a month without any water, then they must be special."_

He decided to gather some of them to show his brothers what he found.

He wrinkled his nose when he took a look at the purple liquid. It wasn't anything like water; it smelled bad, and it wasn't as slippery.

Then, he observed the black stone. It was a beautiful stone; it shone like the sky at night, its smooth surface looked as if it were polished, and it was perfectly round. There were no scratches at all, as if the stone was created just moments ago.

Renkotsu frowned in thought. _"Does a stone like this exist? Adamant is hard, bright, and can last for a very long time... But this stone..." _

When he bent down to grab it, a horrifying feeling shot through his body. It was as if the stone was a black hole, sucking him in deeper and deeper... It was like there was nothing at the end of the hole. It was filled with darkness and evil, and yet, it was empty.

His heart almost stopped beating for a second, until he blinked once. And it was over. He quickly removed his hand and stared at the stone in shock. _"What... the hell was that?"_

What sort of stone was this?

It gave him illusions, it was **perfectly** intact after a month, and THIS is what could bring people back to life? This is what his resurrector used to bring him back from Hell?

_"Some sort of cursed stone? Is it so evil even **I** can't touch it?" _Someone like him, who betrayed his comrades, even killed one, deserved to be called evil. He dared reaching for it one last time. This time, he may not have imagined anything terrible, but the feeling he had when he grabbed the black stone sent chills down his spine.

He quickly ran to the rest of his brothers, and when he arrived, he only saw Jakotsu, Mukotsu, and Ginkotsu.

"The others aren't here yet?" he asked as he appeared.

"No," Ginkotsu answered.

"Did you find anything?" Jakotsu asked in a rush. "Anything interesting? Something odd? Huh?"

"Calm down, Jakotsu," the second in command hushed in his usual way. "And yes, I have found a few things."

He reached for the white power he kept in a pouch and held it up for his brothers to see. "This was used to make a circle. I'm thinking that our bones were placed inside the circle. Also..."

The took out the dried plants. "These herbs may have been used as well."

"The woman may know what they are," Jakotsu commented. He still refused to call Hikari by her name. "Was there anything else?" he urged.

Renkotsu nodded and pulled out the black stone. His three brothers stared at it intently. He guessed that just by looking at it, they knew this rock was out of the ordinary.

Before he could even explain what it was, Bankotsu's voice interrupted him. "So you found that too, did you?"

Their leader, Suikotsu, and Hikari appeared. They too were holding a few things.

"Did you find the same things as Renkotsu?" Jakotsu asked.

Suikotsu shrugged and turned to Renkotsu. "I don't know if we found the same things you've found, but... We found white powder spread out to form a circle, some weird purple stuff around it, and..."

Renkotsu completed for him, "Herbs around and this stone in the middle of the circle."

"That means that we've found the same things on each of the grave sites," Hikari said. He asked Bankotsu, "So I'm guessing that there's no point in searching for other death places?"

He nodded. "Two graves with the same clues are good enough."

"Oh, thank God," Jakotsu breathed in relief.

"What does the stone do?" Mukotsu asked impatiently.

"Oh, right..." Suikotsu pulled out the black stone. He showed it to Renkotsu and compared the two rocks. They were **identical**. **Completly** identical. The only difference between the two was the hands they were resting on.

"It's weird..." Hikari mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "First, I can't even lay a finger on it. Two, the ones who actually _can_ hold it recieves horrible illusions. Three, it's in perfect shape. And four, every single one of these type of rocks are identical?"

"You... can't touch it?" Ginkotsu asked.

She shook her head. "No. I tried approaching it, but I couldn't get any closer than eight inches around it. It was like a barrier was stopping me... Everytime I tried to get closer, some electric sparks would come out."

"So only Big Brother and Suikotsu could bring it?" Renkotsu asked.

The doctor nodded. "The first time I grabbed it was creepy as hell, but we managed through."

"This kind of stone should be rare," the second in command spoke thoughtfully. "It must have taken some time for the one who resurrected us to gather all this."

Bankotsu nodded. Then, he sighed and hopped onto Ginkotsu. "Well we certainly have found out a lot of things."

"What do we do now?" Mukotsu asked. "We've found clues, now what do we do?"

"Hold on," Hikari said. She jumped up a tree (yes, there were trees) and looked at the land. She could clearly see Suikotsu's village. It was probably half an hour away if they went fast enough.

_"Maybe we'll find a few clues there," _she thought. _"Who knows, maybe someone suspicious visited the village a month ago."_

She jumped off the tree branch and made a small flip in the air before landing on the ground.

Suikotsu was staring at what she was doing the whole time. "Why did you do that?" Suikotsu asked when she hit the earth.

"Oh, I just got an idea to look around the place-"

"No, not that," he interrupted. "Why did you make that tiny flip?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, you've always done those things whenever you jumped off somewhere high above the ground," Bankotsu noticed.

"Oh, that." Hikari shrugged. "It's nothing much. It's the same reason why you twirl Banryuu before attacking. You twirl your sword to make your attack more powerful, I flip in the air because it helps me keep my balance."

"Alright, that's very good to know, but why did you go up there?" Renkotsu asked, taking back the question from before.

"I have an idea of what we could do to find more clues, but I don't know if you'll like it..." she said appresenhively.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Hey, Inuyasha..." Kagome mumbled to her friend as they sat down.

"Yeah? What is it?" He was aware of the worry in her tone.

"Doesn't this place look familiar?"

He cocked his head. "Familiar? What are you talking about? All the trees in the world look the same," he said teasingly.

"I don't mean that," she said seriously. She looked around. I know we've been here once... But I know that whatever we did here wasn't good..."

"I think we know where we are," Miroku said as he appeared behind them both. Sango was by his side with Kohaku trailing behind.

"And you're right Kagome, we've been here before," the demon slayer said. "And what we did here was certainly not good."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Inuyasha snapped. "Spill it!"

Miroku frowned. "We're near Suikotsu's village. Okay, maybe not very near, but there are familiar traces we've already seen before."

Kagome gasped. Kohaku added, "I recognize this place from following Naraku's orders. No doubt about it, we're heading towards Suikotsu's village. Which also means that we're near Mt. Hakurei."

The monk continued, "I suggest we go there to find some information in the village, and then the moutain. The Resurrector may have passed by to gather supplies to bring back the Band Of Seven."

"But if we go, the kids are going to recognize us," Inuyasha noted as he remembered the orphan children Suikotsu took care of when he was a doctor. "It might cause trouble to them. Even if we did save their lives, we bring nasty moments back to life..."

"We should go."

They all looked at Sesshomaru in shock. Even Rin and Jaken, who were beside him the whole time, seemed shocked at what he said. "But Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called out. Then, when he realised his tone was too loud, he whispered, "Rin... She doesn't have many good memories from there..."

The demon lord gave him a stern look. "Are you saying that what I think is a bad idea?"

Jaken's eyes widened, and blurted, "Oh, no, no, no, no, my Lord! Not at all!"

Sesshomaru turned to Miroku. "How far is it?"

Slightly surprised that he was actually addressing to him, Miroku replied, "A day or two away. Perhaps even three..."

The demon turned around and said, "Very well."

And as usual, he started walking away to who knew where. Inuyasha growled, "There he goes again, making his own decisions and not even waiting for other's opinions."

Sango shrugged. "Either way, it's decided that we're going to leave."

Rin stared at her master leave. Of course she remembered that village. Where she was almost killed by a 'kind' doctor. A mercenary. She couldn't forget those bloodthirsty eyes despite the kind face. If they were going there, everyone, not just her, would have to be careful. And she didn't need Jaken's scolding to know.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Great," Jakotsu mumbled. "Another village."

"Look on the bright side, Jakotsu," Renkotsu said with a grin. "Now we're all going together so you won't be so bored anymore. And you'll see many handsome men."

The gay man still continued sulking. He sat down on Ginkotsu and pouted. "There may be more men, but there's also going to be more women. And besides..." he said in a dreamy state, "...I've already got my eye on Inuyasha."

Bankotsu, who was running ahead of them with Hikari, heard them talking, and fell back. Hikari saw him slowing down and did the same. "Now that you mention it, I wonder what that mutt's doing."

Renkotsu shrugged. "He has the same goal as us. So he's probably looking for clues like us."

Jaakotsu's eyes suddenly brightened. "Which means that we'll run into them soon enough!"

Everyone stared at him.

"What? It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Actually, yes, it does," Renkotsu said as he frowned, troubled. "Since both of our groups have the same goal, we **will **meet each other somehow. And with these strong demons around, no doubt Sesshomaru and Koga will be after some explanations too."

Bankotsu sighed. "Looks like we've got some competition."

"Not only from them, but from other demons as well," Hikari said. "Others will probably want to know where all this power is coming from." She sighed. "I can't believe a single person is doing all this. And just when Naraku finally died..."

"Now, now," Bankotsu said as he got closer to her. "If Naraku didn't die, we would never have come back from the dead, remember?"

"... I suppose you're right."

"But Bankotsu..." Suikotsu said suddenly. "What are we going to do when we meet Inuyasha? Or his brother or that wolf boy?"

The leader's eyes grew thoughful. Everyone, including Hikari, stared at him, waiting for his answer.

To him, it was a hard choice. He and his brothers hated Inuyasha, of course they did. But all that hatred came from a long time ago, back when they were controlled by Naraku. The Band Of Seven was strong back then, and they had a perfect sense of direction thanks to the poisonous insects. And now? They needed help from a map.

Also, the demons back then were easy to handle. They were all weak. But now they couldn't win a battle without getting a big injury. For some certain reason, Bankotsu was sure that Inuyasha was in the same situation as he was.

Plus, they were looking for the same person. The Shichinintai knew things that the Inutachi didn't know, and vise versa.

It seemed right to just...

"We join forces," he finally anounced loudly.

Everyone stared at him. Even Ginkotsu stopped rolling, and Hikari stopped on her tracks. He wasn't surprised at their reaction. It's not everyday that he says the whole group's going to join the enemy. "**WHAT**?" The word echoed in the forest. In that one word, there was expressions of hapiness (Jakotsu), outrage (majority), and confusion (Hikari). The healer wondered why he would take such a decision...

She brought her hand to his forehead and tilted her head to the side in question. "Do you have a fever or something?"

He grabbed her hand and said, "Of course not! Isn't it logical to just join them?"

"I don't understand," Renkotsu said as he shook his head violently in frustration. "Why would you choose to do that?"

He sighed. "Let me explain." He quickly glanced at his brothers and continued, "As Renkotsu said, we're both looking for the same thing. We have the same problems as Inuyasha does. We know things that they don't know, and they know things that we don't know. It's simple."

"Alright, I see that," Hikari said. "I think it's a good idead, I think it's great. But..."

He could see what she was thinking by looking into her eyes. Sure, she wanted to see her friends again, and she was happy with the alliance he planned and all... But if the alliance was only going to bring problems to everyone... She wouldn't accept it.

Instead of telling what she was thinking, she said, "The question is if Inuyasha's going to accept the offer or not." She sighed. "You don't know how arrogant he can get. His pride gets in the way far too often."

"Ah, but Inuyasha's not stupid," Bankotsu pointed out. "He may be a dog, but he's got a head," he smirked. "And he's got that monk in his group who actually has sense."

Hikari remained unconvinced. "True..."

"But Bankotsu," Suikotsu said. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, but... Don't you think that us hanging out with Inuyasha... isn't a really good combination? We aren't going to last long."

Bankotsu nodded. "I'm aware of that. But this is to find the person who brought us back." His blue eyes usually so light and carefree were serious. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to know if Naraku's alive or dead."

"Besides," he added more lightly. "There's no guarantee we're going to run into them soon."

Hikari glanced at him with worried eyes. Was this really going to work out? What if...

The auras of many demons heading their way interrupted her thoughts. Bug demons, storm demons, poisonous ones... all sorts of them. Her eyes widened as she tried to calculate how much were coming. _"Twenty...? No, it's fifty... Just how many..."_

She sent her powers out wide as a circle, and the air was sucked out of her lungs. They were surrounding them. Almost fifty from each side. The racket they made must have attracked them... And the demons must have known how strong she and the men were, judging from their auras...

They wouldn't be able to escape from this one.

The Shichinintai wondered what was bothering her.

She whipped around to face the forest in front of them. Without hesitation, she yelled to the band, "Get your weapons ready! Ginkotsu start firing immediatly!"

They seemed confused. The metal tank didn't do anything. "What...?"

She looked at them over her shoulder, and they knew that whatever was happening was urgent. She repeated again, and her voice started shaking, "Fire! Now!"

Before another can even ask anything, Hikari's right shoulder was pierced by the tentacle of a demon. The movement was so fast, nobody was able to see it. It was small, but the tentacle was surrounded by small spikes. There may have been poison.

She didn't scream. Her mouth was open as if she really was screaming, but nothing came out. Hikari barely felt the blow until the tiny arm came out. That's how fast it was. The men continued staring in horror as the tentacle was pulled out as fast as it came.

As Hikari fell, time seemed to have slowed. First, her eyes grew wide with shock, then, they started rolling to the back of her head. Barely any blood was visible. Small drops of scarlet liquid splattered on the fresh green grass, and black hair was starting to be tainted in red. Her mouth was still wide open.

Time seemed to turn back to normal as Bankotsu's voice was heard. "Hikari!"

He ran to her side, and caught her by her waist. His friend still ended up falling on on leg.

She didn't seem to move for another moment, and Bankotsu feared the worst. Only she was on one leg, so she couldn't have been...

After a painful instant, she clentched her injured shoulder with her free hand and brought her head up to glare at the demon hidden in the trees. A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of her mouth, and she gritted her teeth at the pain.

"... Damn... it," she growled.

The mercenary clearly knew that she wasn't going to last long with the injury. "H... Hikari?"

She'd forgotten for a moment that he was there. Ignoring the pain, her head whipped towards him, and with wild eyes, she snapped, "What are you doing? Never mind me, just hurry up and **fire**!"

Renkotsu didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed the closest cannon he could find and fired randomly at the trees. Ginkotsu also started attacking, only he aimed at many different places all at once.

Forest fires formed where the cannon balls have landed, and the demons had no choice but to come out of their hiding spots. The men braced themselves as hundred of demons appeared from the trees.

Hikari shook Bankotsu off and stood up. She took her two blades and got into a fighting stance. She faced the demons coming towards her head on, and held her fire blade up.

But he wouldn't allow it. His voice as filled with outrage. "What do you think you're doing?" He gently took her good arm, and brought her onto Ginkotsu, where they should be safe.

She collapsed right under his grip, and a second later, she tried to stand back up. Bankotsu didn't understand why she was trying so hard. "Hikari, you clearly can't fight with that arm! What are you trying to do, suicide?"

She glared at him. "I'm not going to die... out of... something this small..." she barely managed to bark back. Cold sweat covered her forehead, and her breathing became shallow. Blood poured from her shoulder, and her left hand was stained in red from what she coughed up.

She wouldn't last long. Bankotsu knew that from the moment she fell. She was in horrible shape all thanks to that blow, and she could even be poisoned. But despite her weak exterior, her eyes burned with determination to life, to fight, and to win.

The demons were now appearing from their hiding places.

Suikotsu's claws slashed wildy to keep the youkai away. Jakotsu had no problem keeping them away. The only problem was that he couldn't protect his back at the same time. His blades only shot out at one direction. Mukotsu sat still on Ginkotsu, looking for any poison that may harm the **demons. **He also knew very well that Hikari was in pain. Getting her poisoned wouldn't help at all.

Hikari stood back up with some difficulty and hopped off Ginkotsu. She almost lost her balance. She wiped the blood off the corner of her mouth, and turning back to the leader, she said, "My arm may be out, but my legs are still up and moving."

Then, turning back to the demons, she still spoke to him. Her eyes continued to flare, and her voice sounded stronger and stronger everytime she spoke. "And you know me. I never go down without a fight. I will **not** die. I'll make sure of that myself."

Bankotsu couldn't believe what he was hearing. She needed **both** of her arms if she wanted to fight. She couldn't only fight with one! "You don't know for sure if you'll live! You can't even use both of your swords properly, so stay back and-"

"Let you handle it all?" she finished for him. "No. These blades were given to me for a reason..."

She looked at the two katanas she was holding. Her arms were shaking, and she forced herself to get a firm grip. _"These swords are one of the many reasons I'm still living today. Father gave these to me because he knew I could wield them. He knew I would take care of them better than he ever did. And with these weapons, he knew I would get stronger."_

She felt her ancestors' energy following through her, like the time she first held them in her tiny hands. She looked back at all the moments she spent getting stronger, all those times she spent to surpass _their _strength. "I'm not going to let all the training and suffering I went through to go to waste!"

"And besides," she added as she stood her ground. She would have to go out there for battle soon. Bankotsu knew that there was no way he would be able to change her mind. He could hear the smirk as she spoke. "If I'm going to die today, at least I'm going to take a few demons down with me."

She ran off, and Bankotsu didn't even stop her.

Suddenly, he was back at **that day**. The day he first died. Hundreds of soldiers surrounded him and his brothers with their arrows. There was no way out of it. And they all knew they were going to die. But instead of accepting that, they ran like cowards, and they left their pride as a member of the Shichinintai behind.

Was this situation any different?

"Big Brother!"

Renkotsu's alarming voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The bald man jumped down next to his leader and pulled out his fire threads. He shot them at the demons attacking Hikari. They screeched in agony as the fire rope wrapped around their bodies.

"I'm not trying to order you around, but shouldn't you be helping her out?" he said as he pulled on his threads once more to cut the demons into pieces.

Bankotsu blinked once as if the light of the sun almost burned his eyes. "Oh! Right!"

Holding Banryuu up high, he charged in with a great "**DRAGON HAMMER!**"

* * *

**I could have continued, but I decided to stop here. Just cause it was getting a little too long. But the next chap's bound to get interesting... **

**Thank you to everyone who's still reading, and I hope you like it!**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	20. Getting Closer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the plot and Hikari.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 19**

_"W... where am I?"_

Everything was black. She couldn't see, hear, or feel anything. There was no light, no sound, no touch. She wasn't sure of anything. _"What is this place? Why is it so dark...? Am I dead?"_

She tried to remember what might have happened. Nothing really came in mind. The images flowing in her head were all pitch black. _"What happened? Why can't I remember..."_

There was one thing she was sure of. Her name.

_"Hikari..." _She tried to open her eyes, but something heavy prevented her from doing so. She gave in and thought once more. _"My name... Hikari... Light. So why is it so dark?"_

For the first time since she was concious, she felt the heavy feeling moving away from her. Instead, something warm replaced it.

She could finally open her eyes.

The first little glimpse she saw was the color purple. As she blinked, the image began to clear. A bald stranger was looking over her. She frowned ever so slightly. _"Who..." _She was certain that she's never seen this man before.

He smiled when he saw her eyes finally open. "Ah, you're awake," he said in a gentle voice. He sighed. "We were getting worried."

This made her frowned even more. _"We...?" _She didn't trust this man. Who was he, what happened, what was he doing, why was he helping her... There were so many questions running in her head.

He was aware that she seemed supicious of him. He sighed, looked behind him, and said, "Alright, don't yell when I do this."

His face was approching hers very slowly. Her eyes grew wide in panic. _"What the hell is he doing?" _She couldn't even move in to slap him. Her body still wasn't functioning properly.

And all of a sudden, the purple tattoos appeared on his face.

Hikari's eyes grew even wider, this time in shock. She was about to shout something, but he clamped her mouth shut. He growled, "Come on, I told you not to scream!"

She decided to keep quiet, and he let go. She breathed in some air, and whispered the first word she's ever spoken since she woke up. "Renkotsu..."

The bald man smiled again. "Glad to see you're back to your senses." And the tattoos disappeared.

She tried to sit up, but he kept her down. "Don't get up yet. You're still not fully recovered," he said in a warning tone.

"Recovered...?"

Finally, everything came back. What happened the day before, or even two days before hit her like a wave. Her jumping into battle, the pain in her shoulder sucking out the rest of her energy away... all the demons surrounding Jakotsu, her getting closer to the pile of youkai and shreading them one by one... the huge pain on her back... and finally Bankotsu trying to reach for her as everything went black...

_"Bankotsu!"_

"Where...?" she huffed with big eyes.

"We're at Suikotsu's village," he said. "The hut we're in right now is the place where the orphan children sleep." And he started explaining everything. "After a demon whipped your back, you passed out. We managed to handle off the demons, but we got a few injuries ourselves."

Then, when he pulled up his sleeve to wet the towel in a bol of water, she noticed the scars the demons must have left. They didn't look like fresh wounds, so someone must have taking care of it.

He dipped the towel into the water and continued, "When came here as fast as we could. None of us knew anything about healing, and Suikotsu's doctor form wouldn't come out. Bankotsu, Jakotsu and I arrived here, in disguises of course, and got you to the priestess of the village."

"A priestess?"

"Yes, she lived here, in this hut with the children for a few months now. We explained what happened, and she healed us, and took care of you while we went off on 'walks'."

She narrowed her eyes. "Walks, as in going to the others to give them medicine?"

"Exatly." He pressed the towel onto her forehead. "Apparently, you caught a fever last night because of your wounds."

She shivered at the cool towel's contact. "Ugh, that's cold." She shook it off and tried to sit up again. Renkotsu didn't stop her. When the covers came off, she discovered her whole chest and shoulders wrapped up in bandages. Although her arms were free, she felt like a puppet.

When she tried to move her right arm, pain shot through her shoulder, and she yelped.

Renkotsu gently took her arm back down to her side. "Careful. That part hasn't healed yet."

Hikari sighed. She looked around the small hut and found a few children sleeping. Watching the little kids sleep brought a smile to her face. When she looked outside, she found the sun shining brightly. _"Must be around noon," _she thought.

She remembered that her first question wasn't even answered in the firt place. Renkotsu mistook it for another question because she couldn't finish it. "Where are the others?"

"Looking around the village, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "Or maybe with Mukotsu, Ginkotsu, and Suikotsu. Those three can't come here."

Her eyes were confused. "I understand Mukotsu because of his condition, and Ginkotsu because of his size... but Suikotsu?"

He whispered to her, "The children regonize both Suikotsu's true form and his doctor form. We don't have enough clothes to diguise him well enough. See, these clothes," he gestured his purple robe, "Are from a monk."

She didn't need to ask how he got those.

"Bankotsu didn't change much. He hid the purple star on his forehead, and took off his armour. Jakotsu let his hair loose, and took some other clothes and accessories. Out of all of us, he was the one nobody could recognize."

A drop of sweat rolled down her head. "I won't even ask. Where do you keep all those clothes?"

Renkotsu shivered in disgust. "Jakotsu keep them hidden."

"Let's... change the subject," she mumbled.

"Say," she said a little louder, "Where's that prietess you were talking about?"

Renkotsu looked outside the door. "She went to gather some herbs with the rest of the children. We took a lot of their supplies, you know."

She looked down. "I feel kinda guilty. I mean, she used all her herbs on us..."

He nodded. "We'll give her a little something in return."

When she stared down at her hands, she started to panic. "My swords!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Where are they?" _"They aren't able to hold them! Are they back at the place where we were attacked?"_

He somehow knew what she was thinking and said, "Don't worry. Even after you passed out, you clinged onto them like your life depended on it. Look behind you."

She turned her head and foud her swords safe and sound. She sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"I see you're finally awake."

They both turned to the door to see a smiling priestess holding a basket full of herbs. She had short black hair, and looked like she was around her early twenties. There were children surrounding her feet, who they too held tiny bundles of plants.

A smiling child placed her plants down and jumped to Hikari's side. "Are you alright, Lady Hikari?" she asked with worried eyes. "You've asleep for a whole day. Your friends were getting worried."

Hikari blinked in surprise. "You know my name?"

"We told them," said Renkotsu.

"And those demonic blades don't get pass us," the priestess said teasingly. "Who wouldn't recognize the last of the legendary healers? It's a relief your friends arrived in time with you. A few minutes later and you would've caught more than just a fever."

"We took care of you!" another little girl exclaimed. "You're feeling better now, right?"

Hikari smiled warmly. "Of course. It's all thanks to you."

"We did the best we could on your shoulder and back," a boy said shyly. "We're sorry we couldn't make it heal today."

She shook her head. "Oh, no, no. It's fine. Not all wounds can heal in a sinlge day. This isn't your fault."

"Now, children," the priestess hushed. "I need to inspect Lady Hikari's wounds, so I want some of you to go out." She addressed herself to Renkotsu, "I would like you to give us some privacy as well, monk."

He nodded. "Of course. I will return with my other friends."

He stood up, blinked at Hikari, and bowed to the priestess before walking out. That blink was a sign, like saying 'I'll be back' silently.

A few children followed him out, and the only ones left in the hut were Hikari, the priestess, the sleeping children, and a few little girls. As the priestess kneeled down next to her, Hikari said, "So, priestess-"

"Akira, please," she said.

"Okay. Lady Akira, how long do you think it will take for me to recover?" she asked. "I cannot see my own wounds, so I don't know how much longer I will be staying here."

Akira started unwinding the bandages. She smiled. "That's the same thing your lover told me."

Hikari blushed when she realized she was talking about Bankotsu. "L... lover?"

The young woman giggled. "The one with the braid. He was so worried about you, he refused to leave your side just until this morning. When I asked if you were siblings, he said no. So what other relationship would you have with him?"

The L. Healer sighed, and smiled softly. "That sounds so much like him. Always worried about me, even though he knows I'm strong."

Akira turned to one of the girls and said, "Gina, please give me the herbs you gathered."

"Yes, Lady Akira!"

Hikari smiled as the small girl gave her basket to the priestess, and giggled as she bounded away. "They sure are a handful, aren't they?"

The woman laughed. "Only some of the boys. The girls here usually behave very well. The boys just run around, not even bothering to be quiet."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I know how that is."

When all the bandages were off, Akira's expression was not reassuring. Hikari wondered what bothered her so much. Then again... she remembered that her right shoulder was the one that got damaged.

She whipped her back away from the priestess and saw her narrowed eyes. Clearly she was suspicious of something. Hikari didn't know what to say. Now that she's seen it, it's not like she could hide it.

"Lady Hikari..." Akari said warily. "Did something happen... to your shoulder? Anything you know of?"

The healer sighed. "It's... a very long story... and one I would rather want to forget."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Brother Bankotsu!"

Bankotsu and Jakotsu turned around to see their 'fellow monk' trailing from behind. He seemed like he was in a rush.

The gay man blinked in confusion. "What do you think got him so worked up? There's nothing interesting in this village."

His leader frowned. "Maybe nothing in the village. But maybe..."

His eyes widened and he dropped all the food he was munching on. Before Renkotsu could even reach them at all, Bankotsu zipped past him, leaving a small dust wind behind him.

The villagers around them stared at the young man run with such speed.

"Ah, youngsters these days," an old man mumbled. "They're in such great form."

A woman whispered to another, "I heard that Lady Hikari, the last of the legendary healers, was severly injured in a battle, and that those men were the ones acompannying her."

"Is that true?" her friend whispered back. "Is Lady Hikari really with Lady Akari?"

"It is," a man in his thirties answered. "I was cut and had to see the priestess. Lady Hikari was lying on the ground. But I couldn't see too well because that braided man was leaning over her so closely..."

"Oh, young love," an old woman said dreamily. "I remember my first love."

Jakotsu snorted as he heard the villagers gossiping. _"All going crazy over some little thing. Disgusting." _Renkotsu stared his leader leave with surprised eyes, and when Jakotsu reached him, he asked, "So did Hikari wake up?"

The second in command was surprised Jakotsu finally decided to call her by her first name. _"Must have been because of what happened in the battlefield..." _he thought.

Jakotsu knew what was going through his mind, so he frowned and repeated, "Did she wake up?"

Renkotsu knew it was hard for a gay guy to call Hikari by her name. Embarassing, even. Perhaps he'll accept her more with time. "Yes. I came here to get you as soon as she woke up."

He snorted. "Well that gives Bankotsu something less to worry about. Let's go already," he said as he started walking towards the direction Bankotsu ran off to.

When they arrived, Bankotsu was not inside the hut with Hikari, asking questions of how she was feeling like an idiot. Instead, he was staring at the children play. He was sulking.

"They're not letting you in?" Renkotsu asked.

Bankotsu pouted. "The priestess's taking care of her wounds. Checking them over and over again. Damn it, that's all she's been doing for the past day. Hikari needs fresh air, she needs to go out."

The bald man sighed. "Big Brother, Lady Akira knows better than us. Please, just be patient."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled, "You've seen her already. You've spoken to her. I haven't even talked to her for a full day."

Inside, Akira was starting to get annoyed from their jabbering. Hikari tried to calm her down. "Please ignore them... Bankotsu's only really worried about me... Just... try to concentrate..."

She cringed as the wet herb touched her scarred back. When Akira rubbed it along her wound, she relaxed. "The problem isn't me, my Lady, it's you," she said. "I can concentrate, but you seem tense."

Hikari sighed. "That's true." She looked out the window and saw Bankotsu's black braid flowing lightly with the wind. She could hear the three men's voices clearly. She smiled. "I've never wanted to become a burden to anyone. But now..."

"Please, Lady Hikari," Akira said in a soothing tone. "Your friends care very much about you. They don't seem to care if you're slowing them down or not. They only want to see you up and working."

She nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

After the priestess finished wrapping up her chest again, and after Hikari's clothes were put back on, she told a child, "Please tell the men who are waiting outside that their friend is coming soon."

"Yes!"

Hikari tried to stand up, and Akari exclaimed, "Oh no! My Lady, please-"

"It's fine," she interrupted. "I may still have a small fever, but I can still stand on my feet. Taking a little fresh air would be nice."

Akari tried to say something everytime she opened her mouth, as if to give her instructions on what she can do outside, but the healer took the words straight out of her mouth. "I won't be out for more than an hour, I won't go any further than a mile, I won't touch anything suspicious, I won't go in the village, I can't play too much with the children, and I shouldn't be jumping or doing anything risky."

The priestess was left without anything to say. She giggled. "That's what I would expect from a legendary healer."

As soon as Hikari was out, Bankotsu grabbed her into a bear hug. He noticed that he was hurting her and lightened his grip. She relaxed. He burried his head in her hair, breathing in her scent once again. Her eyes grew soft. It was times like these Bankotsu would really show his soft side. She smiled, and whispered to his ear, "I'm fine. There isn't any need to worry anymore."

He let her go, placed a hand on her forehead, and stared into her eyes. "You sure you're not going to die now? You'll be fine in a few days? Your fever's gonna go down?"

"You can be sure of that. I won't die from a tiny fever," she said as she shook his hand off.

"It's nice to see you're back on your feet," Renkotsu said.

She winked at him. "It's **great **to be back on my feet."

"Hey."

They all stared at Jakotsu. He didn't seem to want to meet Hikari's eyes. When all eyes fell on him, he kept shifting his glance nervously everytime. "Just... heal quickly so we can move again."

He had this pain in his gut, and he knew he wouldn't get rid of it if he didn't say anything to her. Was he... sorry for her? Sorry for the trouble he had to put her through? _"What the hell? Why should I be sorry because of what happened to her? It was her fault for getting in the way..."_

Hikari smiled. She knew what he wanted to say. It was already hard enough for him to talk directly to her. She nodded. "Sure."

"Let's go back the rest of them," the 'monk' suggested. "They aren't very far, and I'm sure they want to see you in person."

Hikari nodded once again. "Lead the way."

*O*~*O*~*O*

_**~Dream~**_

Suikotsu grunted as he woke up in some dark place. He growled, "Great. Why am I here again?"

He looked around as if he were searching for something. But a fog was covering the whole place. He couldn't see a thing. "Hurry up and show yourself! I want to know why you brought me here! Do you need me to torture you again so you can finally give up?"

"I'm not here to cause any trouble," a soft yet shaky voice said.

"Spill it already!" Suikotsu snapped.

A man almost identical to him stepped out of the shadows. Though he seemed calm, the mercenary could see slight fear in his eyes. The man had sleek hair and an innocent face. Totally the opposite of Suikotsu.

The mercenary scowled. "What do you want? I've already had a bad day. I hope you're not going to make it worse."

"I know what is happening with Lady Hikari," the doctor said suddenly.

Suikotsu stiffened. "What do you have anything to do with her?" he demanded.

The doctor held his head up high. "Not matter how much I want to forget it, I am you, and you are me. I can see everything through your eyes. I've seen the people die, I've seen and heard everything you do with your brothers. I've seen how sick Lady Hikari was."

Suikotsu scowled even more as the man continued to speak. "She's sick with a fever, and her back is wounded. She won't be able to move a lot. And you feel completly helpless because you can't do anything. You are partly blaming yourself for being so useless."

The mercenary growled. "Don't you talk to me like that!" he yelled in fury. "I'm not as soft as you are! I'm not as weak as you are!"

"But you're still worried," the man cut him off. Even he started yelling. "Lady Hikari is hurt, and yet you can't do anything. After all she's done for you, you can't offer her anything to feel better."

Suikotsu blinked. He didn't let his surprise show. Not only did he figure out what was bothering him so much - as much as he didn't want to admit it - but the doctor somehow gained more confidence. In other cases, he'd try to hide from everything. But not now... Why?

He snorted. "Why would you care about how I think of this? Hikari's strong, she'll heal well enough. And there's priestess in that village who's taking care of her."

"I doesn't matter to me if you care or not. But I want to help Lady Hikari."

He remembered how weak and small Hikari looked when she visited them. Her smile didn't fool any of them. She was sick, it was as clear as day. He hated to see her like that. "And why would that be?" the mercenary retorted.

The doctor froze. For once, he was without words. Apparently, he regained in mouth a few moments later. This time, his gaze avoided his other half's, and his eyes were softer. "I can't afford to watch a kind woman like her suffer from an injury we couldn't save her from."

_"So he cares about her," _he noticed. _"Even if he's never met her in person, he still cares about her. Huh. Maybe because of that night." _He remembered the night Hikari spoke to him about his headaches. She cared about him...

He snorted. "So? What do you suggest? It's not like you can heal her completly."

The doctor looked straight back at him, his eyes pleading. "I beg of you, please let me out so I can help her."

Suikotsu froze. "What the hell?" He marched right up to him and looked down on him hard. "Are you fucking kidding me? You'd think I'd let you take over my body just so you can try to help her?"

The doctor blinked a few times before retorting, "It's only going to be until she feels better. And when anyone else is sick! I know what can help her. She won't even need to go to a village if she has a doctor around."

The guy did have a point. If he stayed out for a while to heal Hikari, she wouldn't need to go to a village. Which would save the Band of Seven many troubles. Plus, it's not like the doctor's going to take complete control over the body. The mercenary can easily break out.

He started considering the thought... Even though he was incredibly bothered by it. What would his brothers think? That he'd gotten crazy? Could he sacrifice his body to his saint to help Hikari live? It wasn't like the doctor was going to stay out for long either...

Suikotsu stepped back. "Fine," he growled. "But I want you to be gone from **my **body as soon as you're finished treating her. You're never going to stay out for more than an hour. You can come out a few times per day, but that's it."

And when he turned around, the other Suikotsu was gone.

_**~End Dream~**_

*O*~*O*~*O*

_**Two days later, at noon...**_

"Rin, hurry, please!" Jaken squeaked. "We have to go back to Lord Sesshomaru as soon as possible!"

"Just a moment!" Rin called back. She looked back down at the flowers in her hands and smiled. "I think Miss Kagome's going to like these." When she spotted a white flower, she ran to it and obversed it.

Her eyes were wide with wonder. "I wonder what kind this is." She smiled. "It sure is pretty. I think I'll give this one to Kohaku. Or his sister."

Their group was taking a break. Even though they were very close to the village, they decided to take it easy for a while. While some ate, some went on walks. In her case, Rin went to pick flowers.

She looked at the horizon and wondered, _"Are some of the kids I met still there?"_

Actually, she couldn't say she really 'met' them. The kids of Suikotsu's village just saw her. They only knew her name. But she doubted they'd even remember her.

Another flower caught her eye. Then another, and so on.

Jaken shook his head at the little girl's carefree atittude. Put her in a field of flowers and that'll keep her busy for a good hour or two. She could make tons of crowns out of them. He stared at the little girl decide which one of her flowers should be for Kagome, Sango, or Kohaku. She even wondered if she could give one to Inuyasha or the monk. That was how kind she was.

The little demon sighed. She was totally unaware that a war may be coming soon. She knew that there was trouble, but she would never be prepared... Unless the little girl decided to fight one day.

He snickered in amusement as he imagined Rin holding a huge sword. It wouldn't fit her. It just wouldn't.

What happened ten seconds later happened far too fast.

First, a huge demon appeared from the trees next to Rin. The little girl's eyes went wide. She dropped all the flowers and screamed. Jaken was too slow to get to her.

And then, an unknown being appeared. It cried out "**DRAGON FLAMME!**" And the demon was burned to a crisp. It jerked once or twice, and it was dead.

Jaken stared in shock. "Rin!" He started running to the girl before that being could lay a finger on her. But he stopped halfway because he saw that the one who saved Rin was a human. A woman.

He hid back into the trees and obversed what happened next.

The woman kneeled down next to Rin and smiled to her. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Rin stared at the woman in shock. The young lady in front of her was beautiful. Was she an angel? Without saying a word, little Rin shook her head.

"Hikari!" a voice snapped from the trees.

The little girl froze. Hikari stood up and waited for Renkotsu, Jakotsu, and Bankotsu to appear from the trees. Bankotsu was scowling. "What do you think you're doing? You know you can't move around too much!"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "And I didn't."

Rin looked up at the people surrounding her. There were... two men. Actually, she wasn't sure of the third one. He... she... looked far too womanly. Somehow, she knew that the only one she could really trust was this 'Hikari' lady. The rest of them... seemed too odd.

The monk looked at her. She froze. After a long moment, he blinked once, and turned to Hikari, "What are we going to do with her?"

The braided man looked at the little girl. "Well, we certainly can't leave her here."

_"No!" _Rin inwardly exclaimed. _"Master Jaken is right behind me! I don't need to be taken care of! Please leave me alone!"_

She tried to run away, but her legs didn't move. Hikari knew something was wrong with her. So instead of saying something that may put her through distress, she picked up a few of the flowers on the floor.

"They're beautiful," she said with a smile. She handed some of them over to Rin, and asked, "Were you planning on giving them to someone?" Rin nodded. Hikari seemed to be the only one she could actually manage to communicate with.

Back in the shadows, Jaken was squinting at the group surrounding Rin. Through his bulging eyes, he could see a pack of evil looking people glaring at his little friend. _"I have to go help her! Lord Sesshomaru will have my head if any harm is done!"_

But he knew very well that he wouldn't stand a chance against any of those people. Their auras were powerful, almost rivaling his master's. _"I won't be able to acomplish anything if I'm dead!"_

He ran off to the place Inuyasha and the rest of the group was staying at.

And back with Hikari and the other men.

The healer looked at her friends and said, "I'll stay here with her until her friends arrive. You guys can go back, if you want."

Renkotsu kept his surprise hidden. Didn't she know this little girl was with Sesshomaru? If she was aware of each one of the Shichinintai member's deaths, then she must have know that...

"I'm staying here," Bankotsu said firmly. "You're not going to stay here on your own, especially when other demons can pop out of no where."

"What about you t-" she was cut off by a violent cough. It went on and on.

"Hikari," the monk said calmly, even though he was clearly concerned. "We need to go back to the village, you can't stay out any longer."

"I'm fine!" she snapped. But that only brough up another cough.

Rin stared at the kind lady with worried eyes. She was sick. And she put her health in line to save her...

"It's already bad enough we're late beacause you're sick," the 'woman' said. "Let's go back. Besides, I'm getting hungry."

Hikari finally gave in. She looked at Rin. "I'm sorry. I... won't be able to stay here. Can you wait here on your own?"

Bankotsu sighed. "If she waits here, another demon's gonna smell the scent of this burnt one," he said as he gestured the dead youkai, "And they're all gonna come running. She's not safe here."

Rin froze. He did have a point. She couldn't stay in this flower patch any more. It was going to get dangerous. She looked behind her. Jaken was no where to be seen. Where did he go?

She had two options; either go with these strangers to safety, or run away as fast as she could to Sesshomaru. The second option must have been the best, but demons may still appear, and she'll be in danger.

The cross dresser sighed. "What a pain..."

"Maybe one of us can stay here and join the rest later...?" Hikari suggested.

"It's clear nobody wants to leave you right now," Bankotsu said.

"Shall we bring her with us?" Renkotsu asked.

"It's her choice," Hikari said quickly.

Bankotsu ignored her, and bent down next to Rin. "I know we're strange people, but you are going to be safer with us. We can bring you back to your friends later, if you want."

When he put it that way, Rin did feel a little bit better. So unconsiously, she nodded.

*O*~*O*~*O*

"Look at the blood..." Kagome whispered in disbelief as they came across the battlefield.

Miroku jumped off Kirara and obsvered the trees. "Looks like a pretty huge battle happened here."

"And not long ago either," Inuayasha said as he wrinkled his nose. "The blood scent's about two days old."

Though Sesshomaru didn't show it, he was digusted by the amount of blood surrounding them as well.

"What do you think cause the demons to fight like this?" Kohaku asked his sister. "There's enough food around... And it's not like there's any war or anything."

Sango nodded. "This may not have been a battle between demons. But maybe against humans..."

Shippo hid behind Kagome's shoulder. "I don't like this place..."

"Look here!" Miroku called. Everyone ran to his side, while Sesshomaru and Ah-Un kept their distances. The stood in front of an area competly clear of blood. "There must have been something here. Either a precious treasure, or something solid..."

Inuyasha didn't seem concerned about that big patch of green grass. His nose was in the air, sniffing for something. Kagome stared at him as he got onto all fours and started sniffing around.

"What do you think he's doing at a time like this?" Shippo asked.

"Who knows..." the priestess replied.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stopped. He stayed on one spot. A familiar scent flooded his nostrils. _"I know this scent from somewhere... But from what? Who? Where did it come from...?" _It all came back to him in a second.

His head jolted back up, and his eyes were wide with alarm. "It's Hikari! Hikari's blood!"

Kagome's expression was filled with shock. In fact, everyone's was. "What?" She ran next to him and asked, "Are you sure? Aren't you mixing it up...?"

He shook his head and dropped his nose into the grass again. "No way. This is definetly her scent. Plus... there's the scent of lavender around the patch Miroku found."

"So..." Sango said quietly, "The Band Of Seven fought the demons?"

"And Hikari must have gotten wounded in the process," Kohaku completed.

"Where do you think they went?" Miroku asked.

"The village?" Shippo wondered. "It's the only place where injured people can be treated. They'd want Hikari to live, right?"

Inuyasha stood up. "Then when we get to the village, we'll meet Hikari. And with her, the Band Of Seven."

"Who is this 'Hikari'?" Sesshomaru asked.

His eyes were as cold as usual, only this time, his tone was more demanding. More superior. "Who is she?" he repeated.

Nobody dared to say anything.

Before Sesshomaru could repeat, or force anything out of the group, Jaken ran in on them, screaming, "Rin was kidnapped! She was kidnapped by a pack of savages!"

* * *

**How will it all turn out in the end? You will find out... in the next chapter ;)**

**I may start updating less often for a while since it's almost mid-year exams... But please keep reading!**

**And I'd like to thank you all for your reviews. Even though there's not much for a 19-chapter-story, I still appreciate it! :)**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	21. The NotSoGood Reunion

**20th chapter! Whoo! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Only the plot :)**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Mooon~**

**Chapter 20**

"We should have left her behind," Jakotsu growled.

"So you noticed too?" Renkotsu asked in a whisper.

The two were the ones leading in front, and Bankotsu, Hikari, and Rin stayed behind. They were on their way back to the village to let Hikari rest after the fight against the demon. Okay, so she surprise attacked it, but she still moved around too much.

"You mean about that girl?" the cross dresser replied. "Yeah. She's the kid following Inuyasha's older brother around all the time."

Renkotsu nodded. "We really should've left her there. If she was there, then Sesshomaru must be close. No doubt he'll come looking for her."

"What do we do when he arrives?" he asked as he bit his lip. "Will he recognize us?" He certainly didn't want Mukotsu's old killer to appear. It was already bad enough that he himself has threatened to kill Rin long ago. Sesshomaru will never forget that.

"Even if our scents have changed, our appearances are obvious to someone like him. So we do the only thing we can do while we're here: Hide," the second in command said. "We can't fight, especially not now."

Renkotsu glanced behind him. He looked at Bankotsu first, then at Hikari. He didn't want to look at the little girl. He turned back to Jakotsu. The sword-wielder asked, "Do you think Bankotsu or Hikari noticed?"

The bald man frowned. "Big Brother might have not, but Hikari must've known. She knows practically everything about us, about our deaths, so she should know... But by the way she reacted, she didn't seem to know anything about her."

_"Could it have been an act?" _he thought. _"Hikari isn't a fool, she can easily act out anything and get away with it... yet she seemed so calm just until we saw the child in the clearing... and she should have shown a little surprise at the presense of Sesshomaru's aura... And if she sensed the demo earlier, she would've ran off to sace the girl."_

Suddenly, another thought came to his head. _"Could it be... that she can't sense auras as well as she did before?"_

Behind them, Rin was playing nervously with her fingers as they moved along. _"I should say something... But what can I say at all? I haven't spoken a word since I met these people..."_

_"Lord Sesshomaru!" _she thought of her master. _"What will he do once he knows that I'm here? Will he kill..." _She looked up at Hikari. She didn't want to see this woman die. She had such a kind face...

Hikari felt eyes on her, and looked at Rin. Realising that she was staring back, she smiled. "What's your name?"

The child was taken by surprise at the sudden question. "Oh!" Then, she said softly, "Rin..."

"That's a nice name," the healer commented. "A bright, sweet name. Was it your mother who named you?"

Rin shook her head. "No. I don't know. I never got to know my parents very well. They were killed by bandits."

Hikari stiffened. Her eyes were apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

She grinned. "It's okay, though. I've got great friends I stay with everyday!"

Seeing the little girl brithgten up in an instant brought a warm smile to her face. "I see. They're really special, aren't they?"

Rin nodded eargerly. "Yup!"

"Probably just like me and the rest," Bankotsu said as he grinned to Hikari. "We're one of a kind in this world, believe me. Hikari's lucky to have us."

She rolled her eyes. "Can I consider myself as 'lucky'?"

He raised a brow. "Oh? Then what do you think?"

Her eyes were playfull. "I'd say... it's just another way to find your perfect 'husband'," she addressed to him, "Only you have a lot of friends with you, and every single one of you are unique... in some ways. Some good ways... and some bad ways..."

Rin giggled. So found it amusing how the two spoke to each other. Like the best of friends. But it seemed like it was more than that... Just now, she mentionned the word 'husband'... She felt happy that the kind lady found someone special in her life.

"We're back!" Renkotsu announced loudly.

The orphan children were playing in the grass and singing old songs. The sun shone brightly and made each of the children's faces shine. They were all smiling, and suddenly, Rin wondered if this was how the life of a simple villager was like.

When she looked around, a few familiar faces flashed. She recognized some boys and girls... But where had she seen them before? She gazed at the scenery. The children were playing out the a small house. _"Do they all live in there togtether?" _she wondered. A well wasn't too far from there either. And next to it, there was a garden.

"Is Lady Akari inside?" the 'monk' asked one of the children.

"Yes!" the girl exclaimed.

"She's taking care of an elder so we have to be quiet!" another boy chimed in.

"Yes, they're being so very quiet right now," Jakotsu mumbled.

Bankotsu took the lead. "We'll let Hikari go inside and get treated. Then, we head back to help the girl find her friends."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"So?" Kagome urged. "Can you smell Rin?"

"Will you pipe up?" Inuyasha grumbled. "I'm trying to sniff her out."

Of course, so was Sesshomaru. There they all were, in a field of hundreds of flowers, searching for Rin's kidnappers, and where they would've went. So far, there was not much progress.

"With all these flowers around, it must be hard to catch one scent," Sango said.

Miroku sighed. "The least we can do is stay out of the way and watch."

"Hey!" Shippo exclaimed. "Look at what I found."

Inuyasha rushed to him and looked down at the burned corpse of a demon. Jaken came behind him and said, "Oh yes! The strangers saved Rin from this demons by burning it..."

The dog wacked the little elf on the head. "You should have told us that earlier," he mumbled. "It would have saved us the trouble from searching around the whole place."

It didn't take a while before they all caught onto something. Inuyasha's eyes were wide yet again. "She was here again!"

Kagome knew who he was talking about. "Hikari?"

He nodded. "She was here. And not too long ago. Probably with Bankotsu and the rest of 'em too. And that means..."

He whipped his head towards Jaken, glared at him, whacked him once again, and yelled, "You idiot! Rin wasn't kidnapped by savages, she was saved, and she probably followed the strangers to wherever they were going!"

"And they went to the village, didn't they?" Kohaku asked as he stood up. "We know that Rin's safe in Hikari's hands, so let's just go to the village. That's our next stop anyways."

Sesshomaru was the first to bolt off, along with Ah-Un. Inuyasha growled at his brother's stuborness and went off with Kagome on his back. Even if Sesshomaru had a head start, the Inutachi caught up with him.

Sango wondered what they would do when they encounter Hikari and the Shichinintai. What _could_ they do? Sesshomaru would probably try to kill at least one of them... And who knew what Inuyasha would do. He didn't even decide if they were going to side with the band of mercenaries or if they were going to stay enemies.

_"There can't be a fight," _she thought in pain. _"We can't let blood be shed on the day we meet our friend after a long time... And she's injured! Who knows what else can happen to her..."_

She wasn't the only one thinking that. The rest of the Inutachi were praying for something good to happen.

When they arrived in Suikotsu's village, where the orphans were cared for, the children stopped playing to stare at the newcommers. Two of the children the Inutachi recognized, the rest were all strangers. It was quiet. The children didn't like these people. They seemed... different from any other normal people they knew.

Kagome was aware that they were feeling uneasy about their presense. In fact, so did someone else. Akari took a look out of the hut, as if she sensed that something was wrong, and walked towards the strangers. Her voice was warm, but her eyes were apprehensive. "Welcome. Are you... looking for anything?"

Kagome was the one to speak. "We're looking for a little girl, and possibly a woman accompanyed by a few men."

The priestess blinked. "Are you maybe... speaking about Lady Hikari and her friends?"

Inuyasha butt in. "Yeah, did you see them anywhere?"

She was surprised when she saw his dog ears. But she put that aside and answered them honestly, "They brought a little girl with them when they arrived here. They said they were going to return the girl to her friends later..."

"May I ask which way they went?" Miroku asked politely. Even he was trying to hide the rush in his voice.

The miko seemed more at ease when she spoke with the monk. "They said they would pass by the village before going to the forest."

"Let's go!" Inuyasha exclaimed. This time, he didn't even bother bringing Kagome on his back. Apparently, he was too busy competing with his brother, who had another head start.

Miroku sighed. "I'll run ahead. Kohaku, you stay here in case Hikari comes back."

The boy nodded. "Alright."

Kagome, Sango, and Shippo got onto Kirara. The children watched in awe as the giant cat flew away and as the monk ran after them as swiftly as the wind.

Akari frowned. "Who were they?"

Among the group of children, two of them, the eldest of them all, stepped forward. The girl spoke shyly, "We... might know them from somehwhere... The ears of that scary man seem familiar..."

As Inuyasha sped through the crowd of villagers, he tried his best to catch both Rin and Hikari's scent. They were together, so it wasn't hard to keep track. Of course, he also took care of looking at where he was going. The gloomy village in flammes that he remembered was no more. After months of reconstruction, it was as good as new.

The screaming villagers was bound to catch Hikari's attention. _"And if she's still here, then good. With all the commotion right now, she'll stop to see what's going on."_

Her scent became clearer and clearer. Almost as if she was right next to him. Same with the lavender smell. He was out of the village now, but the screams of shock were still clear.

In all the greenery, he was finally able to see some colors... light blue... orange... purple, yellow... And finally, everything was clear when he called out, "Hikari!"

He was standing in front of Rin, Hikari, and only three members of the Band Of Seven.

*O*~*O*~*O*

The surprise on everyone's faces was undeniable.

Inuyasha was breathless, trying to keep his balance steady so he wouldn't flop over. Though the three men seemed to have changed very much - especially Jakotsu -, he could recognize them.

Bankotsu's expression was a mix of surprise, disgust, and hatred. "What the..."

Sesshomaru's appearance from the sky made Jakotsu stiffen. Rin didn't seem to notice the tight and tense atmosphere at all, and ran happily to the dog demon. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

And finally, the rest of the Inutachi fell from the sky as well. And Miroku came a little later.

The two girls jumped off of Kirara's backa and looked at the friend they've missed so much. "Hikari!"

Hikari blinked, surprise all over her face. "Kagome... Sango... What are you..."

Bankotsu was the one to ask the question first. His voice was filled with hostility, and his eyes glared accusingly at Inuyasha for simply showing up. "What the hell are all of _you_ doing here?" By 'all of you', he meant Sesshomaru as well.

Inuyasha growled back, "We were searching for Rin, when we figured out that you took her. Where's the rest of you? Did they end up dying like the other times you were brought back? "

Renkotsu glared at him and got ready to defend himself. He stood his ground next to his leader. "That is none of your buisness, half-breed," he said coldly. " nd we didn't take her, we took care of her. She's still in one piece after all."

"Says the old killer," Inuyasha accused.

"Does it look like we're killers right now?" Bankotsu asked as he took a step forward. His voice was cold, unlike his usual carefree attitude. "All our weapons are back with the priestess. Did you see any one die in that village? I'm sorry, but I think you did a better job at that."

Inuyasha stiffened at his comment. "What did you say?" he barked.

"Inuyasha-" Miroku tried to stop his friend from picking a fight.

"We don't know for sure if any of you hurt Rin **or** Hikari. That battle you fought with those demons? Yeah, we know that Hikari's hurt. But what says that her blood was spilled because of a demon?"

Everyone saw Jakotsu cringe.

That was when Hikari finally spoke directly to him. Her eyes weren't warm. "Inuyasha, I got hurt because of my own doing, they've been treating me well, so don't try to bring any blame on them!"

"That's what you say now, but what about what they've done to you before?" he demanded. "I can't imagine they went through a whole month without killing a whole village! Hell, their leader killed two thousand beings in just a few years!"

Rin looked from one team to another. She didn't understand. She didn't even know who the four strangers were. And yet, Inuyasha seemed to have known them very well... _"They can't be the bad guys, can they? There isn't anything bad with Miss Hikari at all..."_

Hikari spoke through gritted teeth. "Did anything go through your head when I told you they've been good to me? That incident with the demons was completly my fault! If I had sensed those demons earlier, Bankotsu, Renkotsu, all of us could have ran away without any wounds at all!"

Inuyasha growled. "That doesn't change the fact that they're killers! Hikari, open your eyes and look at them! What do you see?"

Her eyes were cold, and she didn't even bother looking at the three men next to her. "I don't need eyes to see who they are. They are men, humans who have friends, loyalty, pride, and hearts." More calmly, she added, "They're the same as us."

He snorted. "Did they brainwash you? Or did you completly lose every sense of good you had?"

That made Bankotsu snap. He punched him right across the face. "Don't you dare insult her that way!"

The half demon took a few steps back. "You bastard..." His hand went to Tetsusaiga's hilt.

The memebers of the Band Of Seven braced themselves.

"I can't watch..." Shippo whimpered as he closed his eyes.

"Inuyasha, you idiot, what do you think you're doing?" Hikari yelled, outraged, as her eyes went to Tetsusaiga. "You're trying to pick a fight without any reason? Have you-"

She stopped in mid-sentence because she started coughing again. The atmosphere suddenly changed. The hostility disppeared completly. One of Hikari's hands went to cover her mouth, and the other went to her stomac.

When she looked at her hand, it was red.

Renkotsu and Bankotsu were already by her side. The bald man said to his leader, "Let's get her back to Lady Akari." Bankotsu nodded, his worried blue eyes never leaving's Hikari.

He told Jakotsu, "You go to the others to tell them what's happening." He glanced accusingly at the Inutachi from the corner of his eye.

In some cases, Jakotsu would retort, saying that he wanted to stay with Inuyasha. But clearly, this was not the case, and he understood that. He nodded nervously, casted one last nervous glance at Hikari, and ran off.

She said weakly, "No... I can..." She started coughing again.

"We'll go too," Kagome said.

Renkotsu shook his head without even looking at her. "Lady Akari would want her friends to accompany her. Not a band of strangers she doesn't know."

They turned their backs to them and walked away. Inuyasha stared at them leave. It took a while before everything registered in his head. "Hey! Get back here! Both of you!"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome mumbled.

The dog turned around and looked at his friend. She had her back turned, and her head bowed. As if she were guilty of something. The same expression was on the rest of the friends as well.

"What?" he asked a little too harshly.

"SIT!" she yelled in fury. "SIT, SIT, SIT! You IDIOT!"

Inuyasha's face burried itself in the ground. At every 'sit', it would only go deeper into the earth. At the 'idiot', it went even deeper than it was supposed to. However, the force wasn't strong enough to make him unconcious.

He glared at her, and barked, "What the hell was that for?"

Kagome's eyes were menacing. She was so mad she could almost cry. "You... idiot! This is all your fault!"

With that, she turned heels and headed towards the priestess Akari's hut.

Inuyasha was left wondering what was wrong with her. He glanced at Miroku questioningly, and the monk only shook his head in disappointement. So did Sango and the rest of his friends.

"What?"

"You're an idiot, Inuyasha," Miroku said, and he sighed.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Kagome waited patiently outside the hut while Akari, Bankotsu, and Renkotsu were inside taking care of Hikari.

She closed her eyes shut as she tried not to imagine her friend like _that_ again. Coughing up blood, so small and weak, barely able to push back Renkotsu's hand away from her. And Kagome couldn't do a thing to help her.

_"Is it really better to leave her with Bankotsu?" _she wondered.

It wasn't like she thought he was a harm to her friend or anything, but... Kagome felt like she should be the one inside there. Because she was one of Hikari's good friends. Because she hasn't seen her for such a long time. Because she was hurt.

Sango and the rest of her friends appeared, followed by Rin and Jaken. The demon slayer assumed, "We can't go in, can we?"

Kagome shook her head. "Four adults are already enough. And Lady Akari doesn't trust us like she trusts those two. Where's Inuyasha? And Sesshomaru?" she noticed that the two demon brothers were missing.

Miroku said, "Sesshomaru ran off somwhere, and Inuyasha's taking a walk to... think about things."

"You mean what to do after Hikari's healed?" she asked, her expression almost emotionless.

They nodded, and Kagome looked at Rin and Jaken. "What are you two doing here? Usually, you'd go following Sesshomaru."

Surprisingly, the little girl was the one to explain. "I never got to thank Lady Hikari for saving me... She even got hurt because she wanted to help me..." She looked down in guilt.

"And of course, I had to accompany her!" Jaken peeped in.

"It's not your fault," Kohaku assured. "Hikari was already injured. She knew the consenquences, but she wanted to help you. That's just how she is. She puts her own needs aside to risk anything to save anyone."

The monk smiled. "Well said, Kohaku. I couldn't agree more."

Rin still seemed upset. "That may be true, but... she still got hurt..."

Kagome told her softly, "Well, when she gets better, you can thank her for everything she's done for you, alright?"

This brithghed her expression a little. "I'll do that."

"Monk," they heard from inside, "Could you please go get some more water?"

Miroku reacted. "Oh! Umm... well..."

Then, they heard, "Of course," right after.

Renkotsu walked out and glanced at Miroku. "She wasn't talking to you."

The purple monk tried to keep calm. This man standing in front of him wasn't a monk at all! Sure, he lost the tattoos, he had the clothes, he even had the knowlegde of a monk - but his piercing cold eyes gave him entirely away. They all knew that. Lady Akari was the only one who couldn't see it.

Renkotsu walked a little more, then, spoke without turning around to look at them, "We told Lady Akari you were friends of Hikari." They were surprised to hear this, and he continued, "No matter how much me and Bankotsu want you out of here, we know Hikari would hate us if you were ever treated badly here because of her."

And he left to the well to get the water.

Rin knew this wasn't going to make the mood any brighter so she suddenly asked, "Lady Hikari was your friend?"

She was relieved when someone replied. Shippo said, "Yup. Although Sango knew her longer than us, we became real good friends!"

"What happened? Why is she with those people?"

And that brought the mood back down again.

Sango still answered, but her tone was low. "You've already heard from Miroku that enemies are coming back to life." Rin nodded. "Well, one night, the Band Of Seven captured Kagome, and made a deal. Hikari had to be their captive if we wanted Kagome back."

She ignored Rin's gasp and continued, "Of course, we couldn't accept this, but Hikari insisted we deal the matter without any blood shed. And there you have it. We gave her in, and it's been like that for over a month now."

The little girl had nothing else to say. Anything else would probably make the atmosphere worse than it already was. So instead, she thought about the time Hikari saved her. _"She was fast," _she noticed slightly admiringly. _"And she moved so quickly." _She wondered what she was.

"Is she a demon slayer?" she asked Kohaku.

Everyone bit their bottom lip. Miroku sighed, and took Rin's shoulder. "That's right, you were probably very young back then. You see... Hikari is what we call... or what we used to call... a lengendary healer."

"Huh?" she tilted her head.

"Ah, yes, them!" Jaken said. "Yes, it's been a while since I've last seen one!"

Miroku ignored him and continued, "Long ago, there were many legendary healers," he said with a small smile. "They could wield demonic weapons, and knew almost everything about medicinal herbs. In fact, some priestess were tought by them to learn about herbs. They knew how to fight and how to protect, and were one of the strongest beings you could ever think of."

She knew what was coming up next wasn't going to sound good. "What... happened to them? You keep on saying 'were', and 'knew'... Why haven't I ever heard of them?"

Miroku sighed. Sango and Kohaku looked away, and Kagome gazed down at her feet. He closed his eyes as he remembered the same words he told Inuyasha, the first time they met Hikari. "Their village was completly annilated six years ago."

Rin's eyes widened. Her hands came to her mouth as she gasped. Jaken's eyes would have been able to jump out of his head.

Renkotsu cleared his throat from behind them. They turned their heads to glare at the 'monk', and his eyes were just as hostile. He walked past the group, and growled lowly, "In case you've forgotten, Hikari is barely fifteen feet away from your conversation.

When he entered the hut, Akari was giving the medecine to Hikari. But surprisingly, the patient was pushing it all away. "No... I can't go to sleep right now..."

Akari assured her, "Please, do not worry, I will make your other friends feel at home, you need to rest."

"Hikari, she knows your condition better than any of us," Bankotsu added. "We'll be fine, we'll take care of the mutt and everything's gonna be fine..."

"That's just what I'm worried about!" she exclaimed.

Bankotsu was trying not to raise his tone. He didn't want to get mad at her, and he was very concerned for her. "We might need to force it down your throat, just eat it!"

Renkotsu knew this wasn't going to help. He rested the bucket of water down and said soothingly, "If something bad happens, I'll take care of it. I give you my word, we won't get into any fights, and I'll keep Bankotsu from harming any of them."

Since Akari was righ beside him, of course he couldn't say 'kill'.

Hikari narrowed her eyes. That 'I give you my word' was suspicious. But in the end, she nodded and took the medicine. She grimaced, gulped it down, and shudered in disgust. "I've always hated these kind of herbs."

"Lady Akari," Renkotsu said politely. "We need to speak to Hikari in private. May you please leave us be?"

The priestess nodded. "Of course. I'll speak with your friends outside. If you need me, do not hesitate in calling me."

With that, she left the three alone in the room. Renktosu didn't wait for anyone to ask why he did that. He went straight to the point. "Hikari, did you lose your power to sense things from a lon distance."

Bankotsu's eyes widened, and Hikari looked away. She didn't answer, and his leader was surely wondering why he'd ask that, so the second in command explained, "Back when Rin was about to get attacked, you didn't know of her or the demon's presence. And just now, you didn't know Inuyasha and group was nearby. You didn't know Inuyasha was the one making everyone in the village panic."

Her voice sounded like a whisper. "I don't know. I don't know if it's because I'm injured, or if it's because I have a fever that I'm losing my ability. I don't even know if it's going to come back. From what I know, this has never happened before."

"From what you know?"

She looked up, her eyes worried. "This may have happened when I was a child, when I still couldn't control my power completly. But I'm not sure."

The two men didn't need to ask her if there was anyone who knew about her past. After all, they were all dead and gone.

She groaned and put her head in her hands. "Nothing's going right. First, I get injured at such a bad time, and now Inuyasha's here... I'm getting everyone in trouble!"

"Hey, that's not true," he said soothingly. "It was supposed to happen someday."

"But not today!" she wailed. "Not when I'm... like this..."

"If you're talking about your appearance, you look just fine to me," Renkotsu said.

She shot him a glare and sighed. "What... are we going to do?"

The bald man looked at Bankotsu. "What _will_ we do? Inuyasha is probably asking himself the same thing, so both of our groups have to make a decision fast."

The young mercenary closed his eyes, thinking it through. _"There's no way Hikari's going to let us fight, and let any of us die. Battle is out of the question, no matter how much I want to fight that damn mutt. On the other hand, it's not like we can just go our seperate ways. I can't imagine what those girls are going to do," _he thought as he pictured Kagome, Sango, and Hikari against the men. _"Those three are going to be stuck together for a very long time."_

_"Our last option would be... Oh, God."_

To join the Inutachi?

Bankotsu knew he already thought about it before, but now that he's facing the real thing, it's hard to accept. Joining the enemy isn't so easy, especially if that enemy's already killed you and your friends once. Now he understood better why his brothers were so shocked.

But working together would mean traveling together. And he couldn't imagine the six members of the Shichinintai walking along peacefully with Inuyasha. On top of that, Sesshomaru was with them. Mukotsu's cold-blodded, emotionless killer.

And Bankotsu wasn't even sure if Sesshomaru wasn't going to kill any of them. Especially since they took the little kid Rin.

"I've got it!" he suddenly exclaimed. Hikari and Renkotsu looked at him with interest. "We'll be allies, sure, but we'll still be seperated in two groups."

The L. Healer narrowed her eyes. "Which means..."

"We aren't going to fight. We're going to stay on the same side, but one group will go one direction, while the other goes the other way. That way we'll find clues seperatly, but when we meet again, we'll have more information."

Renkotsu seemed impressed. "That's not a bad idea. In fact, it might actually work. It satisfies both groups."

However, Hikari didn't seem to like the idea. "I don't think that's... really nice."

_"That's because you want to stay with those two girls," _he thought. He seemed to have forgotten she could hear him clearly.

She glared at him. "Jerk. That's not why. Think about it. We barely stood a chance against the huge flock of demons who attacked us. Look at what happened to us because I was too careless!"

"That was none of your fault!" Bankotsu retorted.

She ignored him. "With more people, we'll be able to win easily and not let any of this happen again. Besides, if we stay together, chances are the demons are going to be too scared to come out to get us! And if we seperate and find more clues, what garantees we're going to see each other again? For all we know, some one of our groups can end up dying."

Renkotsu inwardly sighed. Another discussion. Just what they needed right now.

Bankotsu replied with his own arguments, "But if we're in one whole group, we have more mouthes to feed. And we're gonna be such a big group, we'll scare the prey away! And since we've already met once, we can always find a way to meet again! And you have to know how hard it is for us to deal with them. You know there will be problems."

Hikari knew very well it was hard for all of them. But they'd all have to endure it, right? She wanted to mention that Kagome had better medicine and food thanks to the supplies in her era. But apparently, she'd have to keep that for later.

Renkotsu stood up. "I'm going to talk to one of Inuyasha's friends about this."

"Miroku," Hikari immediatly said. "If there's one person you should talk to in their group, it's him." _"He may be a lecher and a two-timer, but he's good when it comes to keeping his cool with enemies."_

He guessed she was talking about the monk and nodded. "Alright."

As he started walking out, Hikari called, "Renkotsu. Let them in if they want to talk."

"And what about me?" Bankotsu asked. "You know I'm not leaving."

She shrugged, and had a sly smile on her face. "Whatever. If you insist on seeing women gossiping about what happened, be my guest."

He stiffened and stood up. "You know what, I think I'll go see how Jakotsu's doing with the others."

He grabbed Banryuu from the wall, and when he was right next to Renkotsu, he told him, "If they ask, tell them what we already know, but be on your guard. Don't spill anything that might make them think we're weak."

His brother nodded. "Understood." Bankotsu took off first, and Renkotsu followed.

When he arrived outside, Inuyasha's friends were staring at Bankotsu walking away. Lady Akari was nowhere to be found. _"She must have left to get herbs after explaining everything."_

He cleared his throat to catch their attention. It worked. "If you'd like to go in to see Hikari, you're free to go."

The girls didn't need to be told twice. Sango and Kagome ran inside, and since Kohaku didn't seem to know what to do, he followed his sister, his Kirara on his shoulder. Rin ran inside quickly, with Jaken at her heels.

Miroku was about to go in, but when he was about to walk right past Renkotsu, he stopped him with his arm. He kept his gaze on him. "Apparently, we need to talk."

Shippo, who was on the monk's shoulder, trembled. "Miroku..."

"It's fine," he said, without taking his eyes off this 'monk'. "Go on in with the others."

The kitsune hesitated a moment, before taking off into the tiny hut with the rest of his friends.

After he left, Renkotsu got straight to the point, as usual, but without looking at the monk, and never dropping his arm. "We've decided to deal with this situation peacefully."

Miroku blinked in surprise, but he too, didn't look at Renkotsu. He certainly didn't expect this. But then again, he's seen them taking care of Hikari. _"Did her presence... influence them somehow?"_

"Bankotsu decided to become allies," Renkotsu explained. "You know things we don't know, and we have things you may need. It seems right to work together. However, our leader sees that working in one big group may not be right. So he suggested we seperate in two."

"I see. That sounds... fine." He found it great. _"It turned out all right in the end."_

"Hikari objects," the bald man said before Miroku could say anything else. "She thinks staying together would be better because demons wouldn't bother attacking big groups. We'd also get more help when it comes to medicine from the priestess. And nobody knows if we'll see each other at all."

Miroku frowned in thought. "As usual, she has a good point."

Renkotsu 'hmph'ed in satisfaction and let his arm fall to his side. He started walking away, until Miroku stopped him. It seemed that everyone that day wanted to stop him from getting away. It was annoying.

"You said earlier that you've found things of the Resurrector. What are they?"

"So that what we're calling him now? 'The Resurector' does seem to fit the guy rather well," he commented. He knew Miroku wanted and answer. "A black stone, white powder, herbs, and purple liquid. We went to Mt. Hakurei to find anything. I've gathered the black stone, the white powder, and herbs, but they're... not here right now," he added as he remembered to keep his mouth shut about anything suspicious. He left it all with the rest of his brothers.

Miroku only recognized one of those ingredients. "By any chance... was the purple liquid..."

"Disgusting?" he finished. "Yes, it smelled horrible and didn't look like anything I've seen before. And what about you?" he asked. "I've revealed everything we know, it's your turn."

The lecherous monk knew it was only fair to share information if they were to work together so he said, "The Resurrector can give those he brings back powerful abilities. Like poisonous claws, or sharper fangs." He glanced at Renktosu, wondering if he had any new abilities as well as Mistress Centipede.

His thoughts were answered. "We don't have anything of the sort, from what I know."

Miroku continued, though he expected to get a negative answer from this one, "Also, he is able to go through time."

Renkotsu narrowed his eyes, wondering how in the world they'd know _that_, and Miroku knew he should explain somehow... without telling him Kagome was from the future. So he only told half of the truth. "The moment we arrived in our village, we were attacked by an old enemy. The Resurrector must have known we'd arrive at that very moment."

He didn't know if the 'monk' bought it, but he seemed convinced. "That... would be a big problem. But that would also mean that he could be watching over you. Right now. Watching over all of us."

Miroku stiffened. _"It's true. For all we know, we can be watched right now."_

"Which gives us more reason to stick together," Renkotsu said. "The Resurrector knows that we will be working together. He'll want to eliminate one of the groups. And we don't know if everyone's going to make it out alive." He remembered how the Shichinintai had difficulty against that hord of demons.

He sighed. "For the moment, we can't do much," he said as he looked at the tiny hut. "Hikari's injured, and none of us can actually make the right decisons. And where is Inuyasha?"

If Miroku knew, he wouldn't have told him. But he didn't know. "We don't know. He left off some place. Sulking, I guess. Or thinking. Maybe even explaining things to Sesshomaru."

"Either way, make sure you tell him what Bankotsu thinks we should do."

With that, he left to the village, and Miroku watched him walk away. After a long moment, he turned around and entered the small hut.

* * *

**I wanted to finish this quick. That's why this chapter kinda sucks :3**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	22. Why Are You With Them?

**Disclaimer: I no own Inuyasha :3**

**For those who are still reading this story, I will say that this will be a very long story. Really. There may be twenty chapters left to write. So may run away immediatly if you already think this is not very interesting and if you hate long stories. **

**And also, thank you for your reviews! I know it really isn't much for 22 chapters... But whatever. I won't try to force anyone to review (though I will insist you to do so :3). **

**And a very special thanks to Tempest78 who kept me going ever since the very begining! :)**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 21**

"How have you all been while I was gone?" Hikari asked her old friends when they entered the small house.

Sango and Kagome ran to hug her and squezeed her. Shippo tried to find a place of his own to hug, but the two girls were taking the whole space. Rin and Kohaku watched the reunion with a smile on their faces, and Jaken looked outside, staring at something else to hide his expression.

Hikari could brealy breathe under their grasp. "Guys... Can't breathe... My... wounds..."

They let her go, and she took a deep breath. The two girls were worried and wondered if her wounds opened again. But Hikari laughed. "Yeah, I missed you too."

"How's everything been on your side?" the words rushed out of Shippo's mouth before he could think about them.

She shrugged. "First few days were bad because of the food. Then, I guess I got used to them all, and I had my own fun from time to time..."

Shippo and Kohaku's eyes widened in shock at what she said. _"She enjoyed herself? With a buch of undead mercenaries?" _But then again, she did say that the men were treating her well. Perhaps she really meant every word she said.

"It's nice to see you again," Sango said to change the subject a little.

"Yeah," Hikari replied. "After a long while without women around, it really does feel nice, doesn't it?"

The three girls giggled, and Hikari spotted Rin behind Kohaku. She smiled to the small girl. "Oh, hello, Rin. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Sesshomaru?"

Jaken was about to say something to protect the little girl, or to somehow try to insult the healer, but he kept his tiny green beek shut. There aren't anything to say since Rin was the one who wanted to come in the first place.

The little girl seemed very nervous all of a sudden. "Oh... Um... well... you see... I..."

Kohaku elbowed her gently, and urged her to say it with a smile. Rin nodded to him, and took a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me earlier. I never got to say it to you, so..."

"Oh, no, it's fine!" Hikari insisted, her cheeks slightly pink. "Really, I you don't need to thank me..."

"But you have to thank someone whenever they do something nice for you, right?" Rin said. "You can't just go away without saying anything."

The healer giggled lightly, and nodded. "Yes. I guess you're right." Rin smiled back when she saw her happy.

Shippo spoke a little later, "Say, Hikari. What do you think we're going to do now? Now that we're together again..."

She looked deep in thought, and when she opened her mouth to speak, Miroku spoke for her. "That's a very good question, Shippo. In fact, I think I have the answer to that."

Sango blinked when the monk came in. "Miroku. That took you a while."

Shippo jumped on his shoulder and asked in alarm, "Did Renkotsu hurt you? Did he do anything bad? Did you have to fight him?"

"No, no, and Shippo, if we really did fight, you would have heard something," Miroku said teasingly. "And nothing bad happened. In fact, I got some good news."

Hikari looked at him. "He told you everything?"

He nodded. "And I must say, Hikari, you've come up with very good arguments."

"As always," she said with a smirk.

"Whoa, whoa," Kagome said as she streatched her arms out to stop any of them from going any further. "What are we talking about here? What is going on? And where were you, Miroku?"

Miroku pointed at the door with his thumb. "When all of you ran inside, I stayed out with Renkotsu to talk."

Sango looked worried. "He didn't do anything to you, did he? He didn't say anything that might affect you...?"

He smiled gently. "No, don't worry, we only spoke about what we should do... now that both of our groups are together..." He sat next to Sango. And what came next was to be expected. "And if we really did fight, I would certainly want to win, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to..."

Sango slapped him. Her face red, she growled, "Keep your hands to yourself, monk."

He laughed lightly, trying to keep his maliciousness hidden. "Ahaha... Of course, of course."

"Miroku, what happened?" Kagome urged on.

His serious face was back on. He cleared his throat and said, "We'll definetly work with the Band Of Seven." This made little Shippo gasp. "However, since we know very well neither of us can stand each other, Renkotsu suggested we seperate into two groups."

"And I'm telling you, that's not going to be very helpful," Hikari mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. She said a little louder, "It may seem like the right decision to you, but it just doesn't seem right to me."

"Same here," Sango said. "It's true, we can't stand each other, but now that the demons are stronger, we're going to get attacked, and we won't know who's going to live out of it."

_"And Hikari's going to be torn between Bankotsu and us when we seperate," _Kagome thought sadly as she glanced at the friend she hadn't seen for a long time. _"She can't be in two places at once."_

"We must seperate!" Jaken suddenly pipped in. "Let me tell you, those savages abducted Rin when they were still alive, and they caused much trouble. Lord Sesshomaru will not accept walking along with them."

"They abducted me?" Rin asked.

"That's right!" Jaken said. "Remember, back when we were at Mt. Hakurei. When two of those horrible men attacked us on a bridge, and you almost fell to your death!"

The little girl seemed to remember everything in a second. That kind looking doctor... And when he killed that poor old man... But he was still kind, wasn't he? She took a step back and looked at Kagome, and everyone around. "You... you mean those men?" her voice trembled.

When her eyes fell on the kind woman who saved her, she couldn't see her face. Hikari was avoiding her gaze. In shame? Guilt? _"She knew about them? That they were killers...?"_

"That's another problem," Hikari said quietly. "Sesshomaru wouldn't mind working with us. But travelling together is a whole other thing."

Sango and Kagome felt a stab at their hearts when she said 'us'. She even considered herself as a member of the Shichinintai. Miroku sighed and looked at the three girls. _"I shoud've known they'd try to stick together."_

"We can't make any decisions now," Miroku announced. "Inuyasha is nowhere to be found, and who knows where Sesshomaru went. On top of that, Hikari's injured, so it seems we're going to stay for a little longer."

The healer groaned and slumped back with a 'thud'. Kagome smiled. "We know you hate to keep us waiting, but really, it isn't that bad... We needed to get some things anyway."

"That's right!" Sango chimmed in. "Kohaku and I have to... sharpen our weapons. There has to be a blacksmith here if we search well enough..."

"We'll stay at an inn," Miroku said. "This small place is already full with you, the children and Lady Akari. We'll visit you too, of course."

"I suppose that's fine," Hikari said with a sigh. "Although, there is only _one_ inn here in this village."

"That's great!" Shippo exclaimed. "That'll save us the problem to find it! Where is it?"

"Hold on, this isn't good news I'm telling you," she warned. "Renkotsu and Jakotsu are also staying there. Sometimes, Bankotsu does too." She could see some depressed emotion in her friends' eyes.

_"So now we won't even be able to keep distance from them." _Kagome sighed inwardly.

"Please," the healer continued, "Don't cause any trouble. I don't want you guys kicked out of there because one of you or Jakotsu did something stupid."

She gazed at Miroku for a long time. So did the others, except for Rin and Jaken.

"What?"

"There's a reason I'm looking at you, monk," she said as she looked at him suspiciously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently.

She glared at him with that famous woman glare, and for some odd reason, he felt very small. "You know Jakotsu can't stand women. And if he sees you flirting, there will be trouble. And if you're the only one to be kicked out because of your own lecherous hand, I will not feel sorry, and you will certainly not find any hospitality here."

Miroku swallowed down hard. "U... Understood!"

"So where's the inn?" Kohaku asked.

"Oh. For that..." She thought for a while, until she replied, "You'll have to ask Renkotsu or Lady Akari."

"Lady Akari it is," Miroku said as he stood up. "I don't think I'll be capable of talking to Renkotsu some other day." He still remembered the man's piercing eyes, pupils barely visible. The monk shivered.

Hikari's eyes were amused. She looked out the door and saw trees colored in a light orange. Sunset. "You're going to have to ask Lady Akari now if you want to arrive at the inn by dusk. She's somewhere in the forest, and you'll have to search for her."

Her friend's felt hurt when she said it was time to go. Like the feeling you had when you were young when a birthday party finished. The reunion was already over.

"Hey, cheer up, we'll see each other tomorrow," the healer reassured. "It's not like we're miles away from each other like before." Turning to Sango and Kagome, she whispered to them, "And I'll tell you everything that's happened to me. Every single detail of it."

"Now I think that's going to keep me up all night," Kagome giggled.

"What are those three whispering about?" Shippo asked Miroku as they watched the girls mumbling and giggling. "And they were always like this before too."

Miroku smiled. "Some things never change, Shippo."

*O*~*O*~*O*

Hikari watched her friends leave at the door and waved with a smile. _"It's so great to see them again..."_

"Lady Hikari?"

She looked down and saw Rin and Jaken. _"Oh my gosh! I've completly forgotten about them!" _

Rin seemed worried. "What... do you think we should do? Lord Sesshomaru isn't back yet... And we won't be able to find Ah-Un either."

The healer looked at Jaken, and the little imp lowered his gaze. _"And no matter how much he doesn't want to admit it, he can't protect Rin in the forest. It'll get dark soon."_

She smiled at the child. "Don't worry. I guess you can stay with me for a while until he comes back." She saw Jaken's tiny ears perk up. "Don't worry, the same goes for you, midget," she said, the warmth gone from her tone.

"How rude!" Jaken hollerd. "I am a demon! Do not compare me to what you humans call a 'midget'!"

She rolled her eyes, and Rin giggled. "Whatever you say... tiny."

Jaken jumped up and down in anger. "That's the same thing!"

Hikari shook her finger in front of the demon's face. "Ah, ah, ah. You said I couldn't call you a 'midget'."

"Then don't call me anything which refers to something small!"

"Oh? Why is that?" She looked down on him. "Yet you're so small it's almost adorable... Ah! I've got it!" A sly smile came across her face. "How about... Miniature-Demon? Or Mini-Demon? Yes, I like Mini-Demon a lot more."

Jaken was getting red. "No, no, no! I have a name I was born with! Jaken! How would you like it if-"

Hikari ignored him and turned around. She sighed and sounded like she was whining. "Oh... Finding nicknames for demons are hard... especially when they're ugly, tiny, weird-looking and annoying..."

Every single insult was like an arrow piercing Jaken's body. **(A/N: Like in animes :3) **

"Which is exactly the case here."

And that made Jaken fall to the ground, his beak mumbling an unknwon language. "Master Jaken?" Rin waved her hand in his face. "Master Jaken? Are you awake?"

Hikari smiled. _"Looks like traveling with them may not be so bad after all..." _She stopped thinking that when she felt something. Someone's aura. For just a small moment, she felt glad that she didn't lose her powers completly. But the feeling was replaced by uneasiness when she realized Sesshomaru was coming closer.

Soon, the dog demon arrived with Ah-Un right behind him.

Her facial expression was serious. They were lucky the children left somewhere with Lady Akari. _"This isn't going to be pretty."_

Rin noticed that her smile had disappeared, and turned around to look at whatever troubled her. And when she saw Sesshomaru she jumped up in happiness and ran to her master. "Lord Sesshomaru! You're back!"

Jaken also looked up with hope in his big bulgy eyes. "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!"

Hikari watched the small demon pull himself off the ground and run to the dog demon. However, Sesshomaru's emotionless gaze never left Hikari. And hers never left him.

There would have been complete silence if it weren't for Jaken's useless yelling. "Oh, My Lord, how good it is to see you again! No worries, I have taken care of Rin very well! But this woman here continued to speak nonsense! She thinks that demons are-"

"Be quiet," Sesshomaru scolded.

Jaken bowed his head and hunched his shoulders in embarassment and shame. "Oh, of course, My Lord."

Sesshomaru's eyes were cold. After another moment of staring at the healer, he finally spoke. "So I hear you're the woman with the Band Of Seven. They took you away from Inuyasha and his group."

_"You've got the wrong idea. They didn't take me away," _she thought bitterly. But she decided to keep that to herself and confirmed what he said, "Yes, that's right."

"And it would appear that you have some... affection for them."

She was on her guard, but her eyes showed no hostility. "Yes... So what?"

"So what?" He frowned. "Is that really your reply?"

"It is," she said firmly. "There is nothing wrong with showing affection to others, even though they have killed many times."

He seemed more and more disturbed. "Judging by your demonic swords, you are a L. Healer, are you not? You of all people should understand killers like them should not be forgiven."

"In that case, there wouldn't be as many humans as there are today," she replied, her eyes cold. "Among us human, there are murderers who have changed their ways, killers who have decided to live peacefully and to start a family. They are forgiven not because of what they did, but because of who they are."

"Then you are a fool," he said curtly. "People do not change as easily as you think."

Hikari calmed down slightly. "You're right. It takes a long while for people to change." _"Hell, it took a huge accident for Jakotsu to feel more comfortabe around me." _

"Sometimes, it takes something big for someone to change completly. But there are also small things that can turn you into a completly different person. Understanding someone, for example. Giving them our trust.

She turned her gaze to the trees, in the forest. "The first time I met Bankotsu, I didn't believe I could change into what he is now," she almost whispered. "He was resurrected with a shard of the Shikon Jewel, and his aura was so dark I could barely see what was in his mind. But in every person, there is always a small light. A light leading to a second chance if ever needed. I decided to take that chance.

"All thier lives, the only people they could rely on were themselves." She could picture the Shichinintai, compeltly rejected from society, known only for their strength. Not for their personnalities. "They needed someone to show them that... there is more to life than a simple occupation, than an old hobby." The words came out of her mouth just like that night she spoke with Renkotsu.

She didn't try to convince Sesshomaru of anything. It was more like she was speaking to herself. "It may have taken some time, but they really have changed. The bloodthirst in their eyes have started to disappear a long time ago. Instead of mercenaries, they look more like a family of brothers. And..."

Hikari looked back at the dog demon, smiling. "I've gladly accepted to take part of their family. Though some of them don't trust me completly yet, I've decided to stay by their side."

"So you'd prefer staying with them than with Inuyasha," Sesshomaru challenged. She didn't answer. "I don't understand why someone like you, the last of the L. healers would want to go on and help mercenaries instead of doing what you do best. You are strong and wise from what I've heard. However, it doesn't seem like it."

Hikari flinched. "So you know that I'm the last?" And he didn't answer. She sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not as smart or wise as any other healer. I should hate them for what they've done. They've tried to kill my friends in the past. Who knows, maybe one of them even killed a L. Healer long ago. They don't deserve to be loved or even taken cared of.

"But that's how other people would think. I may not forgive people very easily, especially when it comes to killing. But everytime I try to think about hating them, I can't do it. Those men each have something unique that makes them great comrades. Though dim-witted, Jakotsu's very loyal. Though very ambicious, Renkotsu has the brains to get us out of any mess. And even though Bankotsu's a pervert who wants more power, there are many things that make him wonderful," she said with a soft smile.

"Once you put aside the fact that they've killed, you can see who they really are. Not the killers they were, but what's been hiding inside of them for so long." She glanced at Sesshomaru. "You may not understand because they've abducted Rin before, and they intended to kill her, but they're different now. And I don't have any problem with being with the Band Of Seven."

Sesshomaru was impassive. If Hikari weren't able to read minds, she wouldn't have had a clue of what he was thinking. And even then, his thoughts weren't clear. He suddenly sifted his head to his right. She followed his gaze and saw Jakotsu, Renkotsu, and Bankotsu.

"Hikari," Bankotsu said as he came next to her. He placed a protective hand on her shoulder and held Banryuu with the other. He stared at Sesshomaru, and so did his brothers. "Is everything fine?"

"It's nothing," she replied. "He came here to get Rin and the little demon back, that's all."

"And now you're welcome to leave," Renkotsu said coldly to the dog demon.

"I didn't need your permission," Sesshomaru said with just as much hate.

He turned heels and started walking away. Rin hesitated, shifting her gaze from Hikari to her master, wondering if she should say something to the kind woman. But when Jaken ran after Sesshomaru, she hopped onto Ah-Un and took off.

As soon as they left, Bankotsu grabbed Hikari's shoulders and looked over her. "You sure he didn't do anything?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Now let me go."

Jakotsu shivered. "Damn. Inuyasha's older brother is sexy, but... He's just so cold." _"And dangerous," _he reminded himself as he remembered the last time he encountered the demon. "I'm glad we didn't bring Suikotsu here."

Renkotsu nodded in agreement. "If we really did bring him here, there would have been a lot more trouble."

"What? Were you planning on bringing him?" Hikari asked. It was clear that the doctor couldn't come because of the children. But why were they thinking about it now?

"You see, Suikotsu has some good news," Bankotsu explained. "He said something about the doctor helping him and stuff... But since we didn't understand much, he wanted to come here to tell you about it himself. We were considering it, but we still needed someone to look over Mukotsu and Ginkotsu. So there."

Hikari was confused. "The doctor helping him?" The brief description Bankotsu explained was indeed very confusing. "Maybe I'll go see him over there myself..." She looked at the setting sun and smiled to the men. "But that's going to need to wait. I'll go see him tomorow."

Renkotsu stretched his arms. "I suppose we'll be sleeping at the inn again."

"What a pain," Jakotsu mumbled. "Surrounded by so many people... And not a man that interests me."

"It's going to be an even bigger pain now." Hikari sighed. "How can I say this... Inuyasha and his friends are staying there. And I guess there's going to leave as soon as we leave..."

"Inuyasha?" Jakotsu asked, his eyes shining with hope.

"_And his friends,_" Hikari added. "And since you're both in the same building, I can imagine there will be problems." She turned to Renkotsu and begged, "Please, try to keep him out of trouble."

The bald man sighed. "You know it's hard when it comes to Jakotsu and other men. But I'll see what I can do."

"Alright, you two, off you go," Bankotsu said as he started shoving away. "It's going to get dark soon and Lady Akari's going to be here soon with the kids. I know that you want to explain everything to her, Renkotsu, but that'll have to wait."

The second in command was about to protest, but seeing as Bankotsu wanted to spend some alone time with Hikari for a while, he nodded. "Okay."

"Bye Bankotsu!" Jakotsu yelled as he waved to his best friend.

"Make sure you don't kill Inuyasha, okay? That's my job!" Bankotsu replied.

Hikari shot him a dirty look.

"What? It was a joke!"

"Not much of a funny joke if you ask me," she grumbled. She went inside the hut, and Bankotsu followed.

She suddenly yawned when she was at the door, and he smiled. "Looks like someone needs some sleep."

"I've always hated medicine that puts you to sleep," she mumbled. She sat down on her 'bed' and sighed. "What are we going to do?"

Bankotsu shook his head. "I still think Renkotsu's idea is better. We should slip up."

"But it has more risks," she pointed out.

"I know. Renkotsu told us. After visiting the village for a while, he joined us in the forest. Apparently, we'll have other things to worry about..." He answered Hikari's questioning gaze. "This Resurrector guy can go through time, or at least foretell what'll happen."

"... What?" she asked, disbelief all over her face. "That's..."

"I don't understand it very well either." He passed his free hand through his hair in frustration. "Renkotsu said it's because they were attacked by an old enemy right when they entered a village. Seems to make sense. But how it's possible, I can't tell."

_"It's either they really were attacked when they entered a village, or... Kagome was attacked in her time," _she thought with worry. _"This is bad. If the bad guy really has that type of ability... We're in trouble."_

"So," Bankotsu said, "Renkotsu thinks that it's a problem because the Resurrector - that's what we're calling him from now on - can..."

Hikari finished for him. "He can be looking at us this very instant. Now that he knows that we're going to be allies with Inuyasha, he has no use for the Band Of Seven... And when we seperate, he's going to use the very instant we're apart to kill us all."

He blinked. "I was only going to say the first part, but sure, the full explanation works too."

"And this gives us more reason to stick together," she said. "He can send a group of demons like the one we faced! There's no way everyone's going to make it out without any injuries!"

He sighed. "Hikari..."

"I know it's hard," she said, her eyes pleading. "But Bankotsu, don't you see how much danger this puts us in? Working with the enemy may not be easy - and it will be a lot worse to travel with them - but think about it! All of our lives are at stake! And Kagome-"

She stopped right there. She couldn't tell him about Kagome's wonderful medicines. That wouldn't make sense. A legendary healer who had less skill in herbs than a simple priestess. No, it was Kagome's job to tell them.

Bankotsu seemed to have ignored the last part. "Why did it have to happen so soon?"

Hikari shook her head. "Sometimes, life really isn't fair."

She yawned, and Bankotsu said as he passed a blanket over her chest, "Get some sleep." He lied down next to her, and grinned when he saw her blush. He smirked. "Don't worry, I'll be right here when you wake up."

She rolled her eyes, though her cheeks were still a light pink. "Yeah, as if I'm worried about that."

He kissed her forehead. "'Night."

She only nodded, and closed her eyes. In took a minute for to fall asleep.

Bankotsu smiled as he watched her face. He watched her chest rise and fall gently. And he realized how much he'd miss her if she left. He wasn't going to lose her. Not to Inuyasha. If the two groups really were going to seperate, Hikari was going to stay with him, not with them.

He sighed. _"What the hell am I going to do?"_

As leader of a band of mercenaries, making decisions for the whole group was hard. And this was the hardest decision he had to make. Becoming allies with the other group was absolute. No matter how much he wanted to kill Inuyasha, if he wanted to survive, he was going to have to team up with the enemy.

For a long time now, everyone knew that the problem was the traveling. Would they travel together, or seperatly?

He had to admit, it really was risky to go seperate ways, and nothing guaranteed they'd meet each other again _alive_. However... He thought about Sesshomaru, and Jakotsu's obsession over Inuyasha.

Sure, Jakotsu seemed to have matured a little, but you never knew what he could have in mind. Same went for the strong dog demon. Sesshomaru... Would he tolerate a single killer's presence? A killer would tried to murder little Rin in the past?

He frowned. He didn't like that demon one bit. He has never met him before - he's only seen him in a mirror -, but he didn't like how cold Sesshomaru's eyes were. He didn't like how serious he was in almost every situation. How he barely joked around, how he could even think of bringing another _weak_ demon along with him...

Bankotsu snorted. _"Wow. That sounds a lot like my opposite."_

But Sesshomaru wouldn't be the only problem; his half-demon brother was a pain. Fun to make fun of, but a pain anyways. That was how Bankotsu saw him, at least. He could be wrong.

He snapped back to reality when he felt Hikari snuggling closer to him. She mumbled something incomprehensible, and he chuckled. _"It's odd how she can be such a wise woman one second, and a kid the next."_

Then again, perhaps that was what caught his interest.

_**FLASHBACK**_

He watched her talk to the villagers with a beautiful, bright smile on her face. He wondered why she never looked at him that way. Alright, so he annoyed her a few times. Big deal. First day they met, everything was fine. And the second time... Let's just say peeping on her wasn't the wisest thing he did.

He glared at everything surrounding him. He didn't like being in a village. Apparently, if Hikari wanted to give him everything he wanted, she was going to have to get it from the closest village she could find. And yes, she found it. And just to make sure she wasn't running away, he followed her. Without her knowing. And he regretted his choice.

Young men gazed in wonder as she walked by, accompanied by woman and children who wanted to show her around. Everytime she smiled, it seemed like heaven was gazing on those men. And when she smiled _at them_, it was even worse. He didn't know why, but Bankotsu hated it. He hated how they looked at her, those ugly eyes of theirs roaming her body, each wondering how she would feel in bed...

_"Dammit!" _he yelled to himself as he thought of it. _"I'm not even supposed to think about it! I'm only spying to make sure that she gives me what I want..."_

_"Food, a place to sleep, and maybe a little extra... martial arts training, maybe."_ It's been two days since they've made the deal. Apparently, after the first day, he kept sticking to her. So he tagged along and decided that he'd stay with her just until he heard news from Naraku. And also, since he didn't have his Banryuu, a little martial arts couldn't hurt. He remembered training with his blood brothers a long time ago. A very long time ago.

This feeling he felt was something he's only felt towards his long-probably-dead blood brothers. Jealousy. _"What the hell? What am I jealous of? Nothing! I don't see what 's so special about all this..."_

But inside, he knew why. He wanted to be the one to be by her side. He wanted to see her shine a smile at him. She's only done it once, and that was in the dark. He didn't want those men to look at her. Who knows, someone can try to kill her at that very moment. She didn't belong to him... So why did he feel like he had to be the one to protect her?

"She's wonderful, isn't she?" An old man suddenly asked as he came up behind him.

Bankotsu wasn't in the mood to talk. Especially not with an old man. He may lose his temper and end up killing him. "Yeah," he replied dully.

The old man smiled an almost-toothless-grin. "Not only is she beautiful, but she is also very wise, kind-hearted, caring, and always doing the best for others..."

The leader of the Shichinintai tried to remember the last time she ever showed so much compassion to him. _"Ah yes. The first day we met. But after I peeped on her, that was the end of it."_

What the old fart said afterwards surprised him. "... She is carying her tradition out very well."

"Tradition...?" And he remembered. "Oh, yeah. The legendary healer's one, right?"

The elder seemed surprised for some reason. "Why do you say that so casually?" He explained mroe clearly, "You speak about... them as if everything's... normal."

Bankotsu was starting to get annoyed. "What are you talking about? Legendary healers are rare to see, but it's not like they're gone."

He grew pale, and the young teenager wondered what would have gotten him so traumatized. He sighed. "I see... So it appears that you haven't heard of it somehow... And yet, the word spread so fast..."

"What the hell? You think there's a problem with me?" Bankotsu was about to grab the small man and kill him.

But his next sentence made him freeze. "The legendary healer's village was destroyed... and all the healers annialated with it."

_"What...?" _Bankotsu looked at Hikari. She was laughing with a few young women. _"Then how...?"_

"You see... Lady Hikari is the only survivor of the massacre of six years ago."

"The last of her..." He couldn't believe they were all gone. They were some of the strongest beings to live, he fought one a long time ago himself. And yet they were annialated... and Hikari was the last of them?

"It's unbelievable how she can smile like the sun's light after her family's death," the old man continued with a sad smile. "Here she is, still alive and strong... We are lucky to even meet a true legend like her."

_"I was with a legend all this time," _Bankotsu thought. But that wasn't what he saw in her. She wasn't the only L. Healer left on the planet. She was just some ordinary woman, but special at the same time. She was wise and kind with villagers, and yet it wasn't the real her. Her real feelings would only be shown in the wild, when she was alone. Like when she was with him.

So what was that smile she showed the villagers, really...?

"It's odd," he commented. The elder looked at him questioningly. "Her smile... It hides something."

The old man smiled. "Maybe you can ask her yourself."

"What?"

He looked at Hikari who started playing with little children. "Perhaps Lady Hikari needs to tell someone about what she feels. She thinks so much of others that she doesn't think about herself. Perhaps if someone asks her of what she truly feels, that smile can finally reveal what it's hiding, as you say." The old man winked at the teen.

And for the first time, Bankotsu smirked at the old man. "Maybe."

* * *

**Next chapter: we continue the flashback! :D**

**I know I haven't updated quick enough, but see, I'm busy with another story... Please be patient! :)**

**_~FoxRain7~_**


	23. True Smile

**Oh my gosh. I can't remember the last time I updated O.O **

**Disclaimer: ... Inuyasha does not belong to me... Again.**

* * *

**~Stars Of The Moon~**

**Chapter 22**

**Previously;**

**_FLASHBACK_**

"Perhaps Lady Hikari needs to tell someone about what she feels. She thinks so much of others that she doesn't think about herself. Perhaps if someone asks her of what she truly feels, that smile can finally reveal what it's hiding, as you say."

And for the first time, Bankotsu smirked at the old man. "Maybe."

*O*~*O*~*O*

"I'm glad that's over," Bankotsu grumbled. He waited for Hikari to walk past him before adding, "What took you so long? And you have what I want, right?"

She rolled her eyes and held up the basket she was under her arm, and the warm sheets under the other. "You know I do. You stalked me in the village. You saw me get the food and the sheets."

Bankotsu seemed surprised. "How'd you know I was-"

"I can sense your aura as if were as clear as day," she explained. _"And that horrible feeling of jealousy didn't get pass me either," _she said silently. _"It was so strong, it was hard to smile in front of the children."_

She sighed and continued walking. She looked up at the purple sky and said, "Let's get moving. We'll have to find another place to spend the night. If we're lucky, we'll find one before the sun starts setting.

Bankotsu watched her walk away a little before following. She didn't seem to want to talk to him, but he brought up a subject anyways. "By the way... I'm thinking of adding something onto the list of things you owe me."

"There shouldn't be any more," she grumbled. Louder, she said, "Fine, let's hear it."

"You know how to fight with fists, right?" She nodded without looking at him. "Then I'm thinking of learning a few techniques fom you."

She whipped around. "What?"

"As long as I don't have my sword, I'm not that useful, see. I have the strength to fight, however, I can't charge into a battle like an idiot. So, you should teach me how to fight. In return, I suppose I can protect you."

She stared at him. "... That's pathetic."

Bankotsu froze. He chuckled to hide his anger. "Pathetic, you say?"

"That's right," she said as she placed her hands on her hips. "For one, you say you're useless without your sword. It's fine that you're being honest with yourself. But asking, **me**, a woman, is a sign of weakness. Have you no pride at all?"

He didn't say anything. Yes, he had pride. In his strength, looks and many other things. But he hated feeling useless. He would do anything to get power, even if it meant getting help from a woman. _"And besides, she isn't just some ordinary woman..." _

She went on, "And I don't need protection. I have my own swords right here," she said as she turned her back to him so he could see her blades. "You've seen me take down a demon with my bare hands, remember?"

Bankotsu frowned. She did have a point. Why didn't he think about it sooner? He felt like an idiot.

He was sure she was about to refuse it all when she sighed. "... But... these days, I myself haven't had much training in martial arts either... And all the demons I encounter are weak ones, so everytime I fight, it's so boring, I have to keep the battle going for a few minutes for me to start sweating."

He noticed a small blush on her cheeks. "If you're as strong as you say you are... I guess training with you wouldn't be that bad."

He inwardly smirked. _"So she can have a weak side too." _

"I'm glad to hear it," he said with a grin.

She somehow seemed to have been affected by his smile, and she started to walk away. "T... This is the last time I'm considering another one of your requests!"

_"Suuuurrre..." _

It was silent for another minute, when he decided to bring up another subject. "Are you good with wartial arts?"

"Good?" She turned around and faced him with a proud smile. She held her fist up. "I've been fighting since I was four. Though I'm not great in strength, I have a bunch of useful techniques."

He grinned. This was the second time she really smiled at him. He liked it. When she turned her back to him, he said, "You should smile like that more often."

"Huh?" she stared at him, frowning.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You've only smiled to me twice. And before you say anything-" Hikari opened her mouth to say something, clearly insulted, but he stopped her "-yes, I'd like to see you smile more. It bothers me when you have that emotionless face on. Honestly, I get this once-in-a-lifetime-chance to travel with a beautiful woman, but she doesn't get to smile much for I don't know what reason."

"Maybe it's because I don't like you very much?" she said. "Just now you're added something new to my things-to-do-list. Which kinda makes you annoying."

He blinked. He didn't expect that. "So it's not because I'm a mercenary and because I killed a lot of people?"

Hikari paused. "Hmm... I didn't really think about that. To be honest," she examined his face, "when I look at you, you don't seem like a mercenary. You don't have that killing intent... and your character isn't the one of a killer either."

"Also," she pointed to his neck. "I've gotten used to sensing that jewel shard in your neck. In fact, your aura seems more human now than it was the first time I met you. It's almost as if you weren't undead at all."

"You knew about the jewel shard, huh?" He touched his neck and grinned. "You know, you're not surprising me anymore."

She winked. "Oh, I can be full of surprises."

His grin grew wider, and Hikari realized she had smiled at him again. She blushed, and that brought a smirk to Bankotsu's lips. He walked up to her, and his face was an inch away from hers. She could feel his hot breath as he spoke in a husky tone, "Then I suppose I'll have to discover them all."

Her face was beat red. She was speechless for a moment, when she finally got hold of her senses, and pushed him away. "G... get away from me!"

Bankotsu predicted that she'd do something like that, and jumped back before she could touch him. He had a smirk on his face when he saw just how embarrassed she was. _"This is fun. I should tease her more often." _

Hikari kept opening and closing her mouth, trying to find the right word to insult him, but finally she grumbled something and stomped her foot in frustration and walked away, her head still fuming.

He continued following her silently for another minute, when he spoke again. "You know, you should learn how to smile naturally more often."

He heard her groan, "Not this again?"

"It's true, though," he said. "The smile you give to those villagers isn't your real smile."

She blinked in surprise. "It may fool your precious people, but it's not fooling me. See, I haven't been surrounded by smiles like other people have. I know if someone's faking it or if you really mean it. And what I saw there wasn't very natural."

Hikari didn't say anything. She didn't move. So he went on, "I wouldn't be surprised if you're like this because your clan was killed."

That was when she reacted. She whipped around, her eyes wide with surprise. "How did you-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked before she could finish. "You know, it really might have made me look smarter in front of that old geezer."

She closed her mouth and looked down, staring at her feet shuffle for a moment. "... It's not something people would like to talk about. And I especially don't want to bring back any memories of that day..."

"Look, I'm not afraid to say that probably everyone I knew in my old village is dead, and honestly, I don't really care about them," Bankotsu huffed. "I even had a little sister and an older brother, but really, I-"

"That's because you've moved on and because you have your band of mercenaries to take care of!" she suddenly snapped.

He was shocked to see her angry. He could have sworn that she would cry, like any other girl can, but she looked down again, her bangs covering her eyes. And she said dully, "I... can't move on. No one took care of me for the past six years... So I've kind of forgotten how having the same people around you feels like. And to be honest, I'm kind of hoping for it to stay that way..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why would that be?"

She slowly turned around. "... I have my own reasons."

Bankotsu knew asking her what that was was going to cause trouble, so he got to the point. "I can tell you don't like being alone, though." She didn't reply, and he walked past her. "Believe me, you'd feel a lot better if you smiled naturally."

He looked back at her. She was staring at him, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. He grinned anyways. "Just take a look at me. There's not a moment in life I feel regret. I smile at whatever life throws at me, good or bad."

"And," he approached her, and smirked as he watched her blink in surprise, "I can smile at a problem like you any day."

She raised a brow. "I'm a problem?"

"Only when you're like this."

He was surprised to see her smirk, and then give a small smile. "Then I suppose I'll have to stop being such a 'problem', as you say."

Bankotsu blinked, and said as she started walking away again, "You know, you look a lot more beautiful when you smile like that too."

She froze and bowed her head. He snickered when she stuttered, "L... Let's g-get going already!"

_**END FLASHBACK** _

*O*~*O*~*O*

The next day, when Hikari was in good enough shape to move, she and Bankotsu went to go meet the rest of the members in the forest. Renkotsu and Jakotsu were already there with the others, waiting for them to arrive.

"Took you a while!" Jakotsu snapped, though his voice wasn't harsh.

"Sorry," she apologised, "I was talking with Sango and Kagome a long time..."

"You don't have any idea how long I've waited for them to finish," Bankotsu sighed. "I would have had enough time to walk two miles, kill fifty demons, and come walking back. That's how long it took."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "That's odd, I don't find that very long."

"How's... everything going?" Ginkotsu asked.

"If you're talking about me, then yes, I'm getting better," Hikari moved her right arm. "Though this thing needs to lighten up a little. I won't be able to move it in battle. But forget about me, I hope I'm not causing any trouble by being gone...?"

"Oh, no, hunting is very easy," Mukotsu said. "The _nature_ is nice, and we can _peacefully_ take strolls in the forest, and there doesn't seem to be anything _wrong_-"

"In other words, you're bored."

"Yes," Ginkotsu sighed. "Yes, we are."

"Ginkotsu's been stuck on the same spot for a few days now, and all he could do was nap while I took a look at his weapons," Renkotsu said. "Well, we'll certainly be ready for an attack."

"We should probably bring you something, then," Bankotsu said. "Anything you got in mind? A shogi game?"

Suikotsu raised a brow. "You know that those kind of games aren't very interesting, Big Brother. Renkotsu's always going to win."

"Um... you never know?"

The doctor sighed. "Whatever. Either way, I need to have a word with you, Hikari."

"Hm? Oh, yeah, that's right! It was something about-"

"Let's go talk about it over there." He started walking away into the trees, and she followed him. "If everything goes well, we should be back soon."

"What do you think he means by that?" Jakotsu asked when the two disappeared.

"Let's hope it's something useful," their leader said as he stretched his arms out. "But more importantly, we should discuss about the situation."

"Ah, yes," Mukotsu nodded. "If I heard well, Inuyasha and his friends are here, correct?"

"Yes," Renkotsu sat down next to the old man, and his the two remaining brothers sat next to him. They formed a circle. "First of all, we've already decided that we won't try to kill each other."

"Logical," Ginkotsu commented.

"Not very surprising, as much as we hate it," Mukotsu snorted.

"But the problem is if we're going to work travel together or not," Renkotsu continued. "We clearly think that this is the best way to settle things, but Hikari think otherwise. And so do the women with Inuyasha."

"And apparently, this isn't something we can fix in a day," Bankotsu said. "We may feel more comfortable if we travel apart, but it's going to be more risky. Renkotsu says that the one who brought us back might be after us if we decide to go with Inuyasha."

"Yeah, and if he's able to bring people back from the dead, the guy's probably super strong," Jakotsu added. "One of us might not live through another battle agaisnt a hundred demons..."

"And you think we should...?" Mukotsu asked.

Bankotsu sighed. "As I said, it isn't something we can fix in a day. Right now, I want to know Inuyasha's opinion on this... If he's absolutely agaisnt us travelling together, or even having an alliance, then we have no choice, do we?"

"But Hikari... isn't going to like it..." Ginkotsu said.

Renkotsu frowned and looked down. "Most likely. And if Inuyasha announces the news, she's either going to beat some sense out of him or going to go with it calmly, which I highly doubt."

The leader had a small smile on his face. "Well, do we all agree that we go with whatever Hikari thinks is best, even though it's going to kill us?"

There was a long silence, and the atmosphere felt heavy. The men were hesitating.

Finally, Jakotsu said, "Fine, whatever. I know it's going to be useless for me to complain about it anyways since I'll be outnumbered. As long as everything goes alright, I'm fine."

"... To think that you were going to be the first one to speak up," Bankotsu said as he placed his hand proudly on his friend's shoulder. "Well, what about the rest of you?"

Renkotsu shrugged and grinned. "Hikari isn't a fool, so I suppose she's sure she's making the right choice. Let's just hope she isn't going to kill us..."

"If she saved me, then I'm sure she won't kill us," Mukotsu chuckled. "I'm going to enjoy life as long as she stays."

"Gesh!" Ginkotsu agreed.

"Then it's settled." Bankotsu grasped his fist in his hand. "Even if Suikotsu disagrees, too bad, he's outnumbered. We're sticking with her, and she's sticking with us, whether she likes it or not."

"But if she doesn't like it, it should be bad..." Mukotsu said.

"Oh, don't worry, there are times when she can't win agaisnt me," their leader smirked.

*O*~*O*~*O*

Suikotsu lead the L. Healer quite far away.

They've already lost hearing of the rest of the Shichinintai long ago when he stopped them. "This should be fine."

Hikari observed her surroundings. They were in a small field of herbs. _"Probably where Akari gets her own," _she thought. Then she wondered why Suikotsu would bring her in a place like this.

"Mind explaining what this is-"

He interrupted her. "No talking. Just watch."

He grabbed his claws he had underneath his arm used them to make a small scratch on Hikari's face. She flinched and took a whole step back, staring at him with wide eyes. "What are you-"

She noticed that he wasn't attacking her. He dropped onto his knees and starting passing his hands in the patch of herbs, searching for something. Hikari wondered if he was searching for a weapon, then she told herself that if there were a weapon here, Akari would have gotten rid of it.

Finally, he removed his hand from the ground, and Hikari braced herself. She watched closely as he brought up... some herbs, of course. She didn't take any steps back as he approached her, but she kept her guard up.

"It's alright," Suikotsu assured in a soft tone.

Hikari's eyes widened. She didn't recognise this voice, and she tensed. However, she was as still as a statue when his hand reached her face. His finger ran over the small scratch on her cheek, and then was she able to see his true face.

The green markings on his face disappeared, and his hair was as spicky as ever. Nothing about him changed. But his eyes- his eyes made a huge difference. They weren't as sharp as usual, they were softer.

Gentleness and kindness glowed from them, not the cockiness she was so used to see. And perhaps his smile changed too. It wasn't his usual smirk. It was the type you'd see on a nice man...

"You're..."

He nodded. "Yes. I am the other side, the doctor." He smiled, the smile of a saint. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Hikari, staring up at this 'Suikotsu', a complete stranger, didn't know what to say. "Ummm... Nice to meet you too..."

"I know it must be odd for me to show up like this," he said as he rubbed some of the herbs on his palm, extracting juice from the plants. "But you must understand, I couldn't stay inside when you were here, with these other men."

She blinked. "Sure, I think I understand... a little."

He laughed lightly. "Allow me to explain more clearly. You see, whenever one of us, the two sides of Suikotsu, appear, the other is always inside, there, yet not there, seeing through Suikotsu's eyes." He spread the medicine on her scratch gently, although she flinched a little. "Ever since you've arrived to the Band Of Seven, I've noticed that slowly, you were changing the group. 'Our' way of thinking, the way of seeing things. You've changed 'us' to real human beings."

"Now, you can't say that," she retorted. "You've all been human beings from the start. Killing a thousand people doesn't mean you're an animal or a demon. Your heart is still human."

Suikotsu's warm and grateful smile made her heart skip a beat. "Thank you. It means a lot to me." He sighed. "This is precicely the reason why I cannot let you leave."

"What?"

"When you were injured, you have no idea how worried I was. And how the other part of me was waiting for news impatiently. But I couldn't wait all day. I _had_ to do something. I wanted to help." He looked into her eyes. "And I've found a way."

"Please, explain." Hikari sighed.

"Not too long ago- last night, or the night before, I belive- I _entered_ Suikotsu's dream to speak with him. And luckily, he couldn't wait for you to come back either. We both agreed that my skills in healing would be useful to you, and the band. If there was at least one person who knows how to handle injuries, then it would be alright for you to come back to us, instead of waiting in the village for so long."

She blinked in surprise. "It's all... kind of hard to believe... I mean this 'Suikotsu' and that 'Suikotsu'..."

"Yes, I imagine it would be rather confusing," the doctor said gently. "But the truth is, you were also the first one to understand."

Hikari's only reply was a confused frown. "You mean... that night when I talked to you about your headaches?"

"Yes. I think other than the leader, you were the one to ask about our sides. You were worried about me, a killer, someone who has killed even children in the past... And yet you were still worried."

"It's a habit of mine, actually..."

"But a nice habit. At first glance, it seems that you can tell immediatly if something's wrong. And even if the sick person was a horrible person, you'd get worried, and care for them. Actually, ever since you've arrived, I've tried to break through the other Suikotsu you know, to talk to you like this. Though I haven't tried nearly as hard as I did today or the other night."

"You... wanted to talk to me?" she asked. "I understand that, but... you came out now so you can heal me?"

His eyes were worried, and he dropped his hand. "Please, I understand if you're upset because of my foolish and selfish reason, but..."

"Oh, no, I'm not annoyed or anything," she replied calmly, and she smiled. "But it's a relief to hear that Suikotsu, which ever side it is, won't be bothered by his other side. You're both in peace now, right? None of your two faces disappeared, but you're alright now, aren't you?"

She smiled even more. "It doesn't matter if it's for healing or fighting. I'm just glad to see you finally feel better."

Suikotsu blinked in surprise, and his eyes became as warm as the sun. "Thank you."

"So this means that we should be able to quit the village, right?" she asked. "Wait. Speaking of the village, wouldn't you want to go take a visit...?"

She already knew the answer, but Suikotsu shook his head. "No. It'd be best not to. Perhaps another day."

"Okay." She paused. "Then shall we get moving?" Hikari asked. She smiled as she took his hand. "You'll have to tell the others."

"Of course."

As they walked, Suikotsu felt his heart grow warmer. _"I understand now... How she could have possibly changed heartless mercenaries into... No... We weren't heartless at all..." _

A little further, Hikari heard Suikotsu grunt, "Hey, slow down."

She blinked and turned around. "You changed back."

He nodded. "I think it'd be better to show up like this. They'll freak out if I look like the doctor form."

"That makes sense," she said, thinking about how she'd react if she were in Bankotsu or Jakotsu's place. No, they wouldn't want to see their brother all nice and kind. In fact, even the doctor Suikotsu would feel uncomfortable.

"I'll take the lead this time," he said as he walked past her. "I'll do the explaining, and I guess you can fill in some blanks, or whatever."

It was then that she realised that Suikotsu was embarassed to show his other side to her. _"Now that I think of it," _she thought as she stared at Suikotsu's muscular back, _"I've never really talked to him alone before... and we aren't as close as we think... I think the only time we've really became close was when I was worried about him..."_

"I don't know when the dotor really started to fight back, maybe it was when my headaches started," he explained. "But anyways, his will to come back started growing stronger every day. But after you talked to me that one night - you remember, right?"

She nodded, and he went on, "He calmed down, probably because you were worried about me. And then, you got injured..." he trailed off, trying to think of what he could say. He slowed down. "Lets say... I felt useless not being able to do anything. I wanted to do something to help, like how Bankotsu and the others went to the village with you...

"I guess that was one of the few times I've seen the doctor in my dream. He wanted to do something to and... we made a deal. I'd let him resurface from time to time so he can take care of you, and I'll be able to feel like I'm doing something... in a way. So there."

Hikari blinked in surprise. _"He remembrs everything... almost. I don't even need to precise anything..."_

"So how do you think the others are going to take this?" he asked.

"I'm sure they won't be upset... I mean, if it means getting out of the village and healing me, I'm sure Bankotsu will be happy..." she trailed off and frowned. She seemed disturbed.

"What's wrong?"

"I wonder how Inuyasha is going to take this... He might get even more worried, but having another healer is very useful..."

"Oh, right, Inuyasha's at the village, huh?" He looked ahead. "... How did the villagers there react?"

Hikari thought about it, and tried to imagine the children's faces when Kagome and her friends arrived at the small hut. "I don't think there's been any major reaction, nothing too important that would make everyone panic..."

Suikotsu's only reply was a nod.

When they got back to the clearing, Bankotsu and the others were still sitting in a circle.

Hikari went to go sit near the leader, who moved a little to give her some space. "Did anything happen while we were gone? What did you guys talk about?"

"Nothing in particular," Renkotsu answered. "Just discussing busyness, as usual. About Inuyasha."

"So... You haven't decided yet, have you?" she asked warrily.

"Maybe we did," Bankotsu shrugged, and grinned. "Maybe we didn't."

She frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"There's no need to explain. I'll make the final decision anyways."

"I don't like that idea..."

"So what did you talk about back there, Suikotsu?" Bankotsu spoke to his brother. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

"Yeah," the spicky-haired man said as he sat down next to Renkotsu. "It's good news for us, that's for sure."

The leader narrowed his eyes and glanced at the healer next to him. "And it involved Hikari?" When his head was about to turn back to Suikotsu, he suddenly frowned, and took a closer look at Hikari's face. "What's this green thing...?"

"Huh?" Hikari's fingers came up to her cheek and she felt the medicine Suikotsu used before. It already started to dry off, but the green color must have stayed...

"That's probably the plants," Suikotsu grumbled.

"Plants? What are you talking about?" Jakotsu asked.

"It was just a little scratch," she explained. "Suikotsu stopped the bleeding with some herbs."

Bankotsu raised a brow, clearly confused. "Care to explain?" he asked his brother.

Suikotsu started off with the whole story, but Hikari helped with some confusing parts, and eventually, she had to finish everything, because Suikotsu was getting confused himself.

It took a lot of time.

"So now that Suikotsu knows about healing, we can leave the village," Bankotsu said when they were finished.

"But we owe an explanation to Lady Akari," Renkotsu pointed out. "She knows Hikari's condition best, and she won't let us get out of the village easily if Hikari isn't in good shape to move around."

"That's true, unless we come up with a good explanation, she isn't gonna let us through," Jakotsu said as he sighed. "But I want to get out of there soooo badly!"

"Can't you guys just endure it a little bit more?" Hikari asked, a little spark of hope lighting up in her mind. "It should take two or three days, no more than that..."

"Hikari," Bankotsu said, staring at her seriously. "Ginkotsu doesn't want to stay on the same spot for two or three days. Suikotsu went through the trouble of dealing with his other side to help you. Mukotsu is getting tired of this boring air, and we want to get out of that village as fast as we can!"

She held her hands up as if to give in. "Alright, alright!" She sighed. "We really will need a good explanation though. To Akari and Inuyasha. They'll wonder why we want to leave so soon, with me injured like this."

"Explaning the truth will be hard too," Renkotsu said as he bit his fingertip. "They probably won't understand as much as we did the first time you told us about Suikotsu. We can tell them to truth, leave the village, and settle the final decision of our alliance in the forest. But our main obstacle is Lady Akari..."

After a long time of thinking, Jakotsu snapped his fingers. "I've got it!"

"Think right now, Jakotsu," Bankotsu warned. "If it's something that can't be done and that involves killing, we're not doing it."

The cross-dresser snorted. "It's a good idea, don't worry. Listen..."

* * *

**IMPORTANT A/N:**

**Really, I'm sorry for the long wait... ****But I'm busy with another story at the moment, and I'm more excited about the other one, honestly... I'm sorry if I'm letting you down.**

**So, I think I'm going to give this story a break. Probably for a long time, if I don't decide to give up on it... Again, I'm sorry if you like this, and you want me to continue, but please understand.**

**_~FoxRain7~_****  
**


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